From his birthplace in Somdal village, Manipur, veteran NSCN-IM leader Thuingaleng Muivah on Tuesday reaffirmed that his group would not back down from its long-standing position on the Naga political issue.
“They (the Government of India) started giving ultimatums. We were forced to tell them that come what may, we will stand our ground. We know who the Indians are and their history,” said the 91-year-old leader, who also serves as the chief negotiator in the ongoing peace talks with New Delhi.
Muivah made it clear that the NSCN-IM would never surrender to India, saying, “We will not come taking your history to surrender to you. We will never do that. Whether it is today or tomorrow, Nagas are Nagas and Indians are Indians.”
He stressed that there was no confusion within the NSCN-IM about its stand. “If you don’t come to understand us and appreciate us, then there is no point in our going to you. The peace negotiators representing the Government of India have understood our position clearly, though some of them have said they face difficulties,” he said.
Muivah, who left his village in 1964 to join the Naga revolutionary movement, returned home last week after more than six decades. Speaking earlier at an event in Ukhrul town on October 22, he asserted that the “historic national decision” for a sovereign Nagalim had been defended “from the battlefield to the negotiating table.”
“We have not surrendered the free existence and sovereignty of Nagalim, and we shall defend the sovereign national decisions of Nagalim to the last,” he said.
Muivah also reiterated that the group would not compromise on the Naga national flag and constitution, saying, “The letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement (signed with the Centre in 2015) have recognized and acknowledged the Naga national flag and the Naga national constitution.”
He is scheduled to attend another event in Senapati, Manipur, on Wednesday before returning to Nagaland, where he currently resides.
The NSCN-IM entered into a peace process with the Indian government in 1997 following a ceasefire agreement, but even after nearly three decades of dialogue, a final solution to the Naga issue remains unresolved.
