Newmai News Network
DIMAPUR, Aug 10: Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) is irked by the comments of noted Naga intellectual Niketu Iralu who had recently expressed his views on the numerous assurances given by the government of India regarding the 'early settlement of the vexed Naga political issue'.On August 3, noted peace activist Niketu Iralu while talking to Newmai News Network, had termed the unceasing assurances from the Central government in the past 15 years to resolve the Naga issue at the earliest, as 'bureaucratic response.'
Niketu Iralu came two days after Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had assured to solve the vexed Naga political issue when the NPCC delegation met the latter in New Delhi."It has become a bureaucratic response of the government of India. The government of India cannot do anything beyond that," Niketu Iralu had said.
"On August 3, NNN phoned me and said Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh had told a delegation of Naga leaders that the Naga issue will be settled at the earliest. The reporter of the news agency had said for the past 15 years Central leaders have been giving this 'tiresome assurance' and asked for my comment", Niketu Iralu said. "The NPCC Media Cell had said (Nagaland Post Mortem August 6) my reply to NNN reporter the next day 'Terming the Prime Minister’s assurance to the State Congress legislators on finding an early solution to the Naga political issue as bureaucratic response is unfortunate and unwarranted'", Iralu narrated. "I should mention at the outset that when the NNN reporter called I had just returned home after being away for 4 days at a seminar centre outside Tuensang. And the network was anything but helpful when NNN phoned. I heard 'Central leaders giving the usual assurances to Naga leaders as the Prime Minister had done again' with regard to the Indo-Naga issue. I had not read anything about the meeting in Delhi referred to. I recalled briefly seeing a photo where the Prime Minister was receiving a delegation. I had not read the caption so it is my regret I did not know they were our Congress legislators," the noted Naga intellectual said. Niketu then said that elaborating further on the point the NPCC Media Cell said, 'Ultimately, the Naga political talks will be resolved at the highest political level, and therefore the supposed Naga intellectuals should refrain from making unwarranted statements, more particularly when it comes to sincerity of Delhi'."My reply to Newmai News Network, some of which has been reported, was that there is no doubt ultimately the Government of India will sign the settlement on behalf of India, at the highest political level. So its role is very important. But if any settlement reached with the Nagas is to be honourable and acceptable to both sides no Government in Delhi headed by any party can do that without the people of India first understanding the facts of our history. This I believe is the issue, not the sincerity of Delhi. The Congress-led UPA Government has been as sincere as the BJP-led NDA was in making it abundantly clear that the settlement will have to be an arrangement that will boost, not fatally bash, the ruling party/alliance in the next election nationally and in our immediate neighbour States , and nothing more than that. The negotiation between Delhi and NSCN (IM) dragging out thus far since 1997 is ample proof of Delhi’s unshakable sincerity to defend India’s advantage and the IM’s unwillingness to whittle down further what it has called its "charter of demands" lest the Nagas will judge it to be not acceptable and not honourable," Niketu Iralu stated. The statement also stated 'The Nagas at this juncture can ill afford to unnecessarily implicate the Government of India for the present imbroglio, and cause irreparable damage to whatever goodwill or rapport that has been established with the highest political office in the country'. "If my understanding of what is sought to be said here and the meaning of the ongoing talks for a settlement is correct, I do think the concern and fear are baseless and unnecessary. Let us not forget Delhi is now in the second process of negotiations with the Nagas again for a settlement. Does this not mean Delhi fully acknowledges that there certainly is an imbroglio, a very stubborn one, and that it is the other contributor to the imbroglio?" Niketu asked.It may be pertinent to briefly elaborate the points made to NNN that the Nagas cannot blame the new Government of India born on August 15, 1947 for doing all it has done and is doing to defend the boundary line of the map the British passed on to them when they returned home. But India too cannot ignore or deny the position the Nagas had clearly established before the British left their Empire in South Asia. The Nagas struggle therefore was not, and is not, secessionist like the other liberation fronts and movements in India that emerged after India became independent. On August 14, 1947, one day before India became independent, the Nagas reaffirmed to the new government of India, London, and the UNO the position they had declared to the Simon Commission way back in 1929. According to Niketu Iralu, the Nagas were not, are not, anti-India. They launched their struggle because they decided their history justified it. They saw themselves as an honourable neighbor of India on the basis of their history, though extremely young and small in size and population compared to India’s other neighbours. He said the people of India are the most important audience in the world for the Nagas to reach and win. They do not know the facts of our history stated above. So they think we are secessionist trouble makers who deserve the severe punishment their armed forces have meted out to us. Therefore it is a waste of time to expect any government in Delhi to reach a settlement with us that will be honourable and acceptable to us without enabling first the people of India and the peoples of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal to understand our case. The coming generations of Nagas should learn to go to them and enable them to understand us and the facts of our history, Niketu Iralu also said."If we go with concern for our neighbours, India and the world also and we are ready to listen to evolve mutual understanding first, the thinking ones of good will among them will become our well-wishers and protagonists. With them the Nagas of will be able to work out a settlement that will be right for all concerned. If today’s aging Naga leaders will pass on a healed and restored nation to the Nagas of they will discover what will be best in the world they will live in", Iralu said. The fact is the real India is not in the few buildings in Delhi. It is in the villages and the bustling towns and cities across India. If we will show wisdom and importance to the real India we will not be antagonizing Delhi. We will be helping Delhi to help us better. "As for the reference above to the ‘supposed intellectuals’, this writer is acutely embarrassed to be associated in any manner with supposed or real intellectuals because I am clear I am only a worried Naga wondering how we are to respond better to the baffling challenges changes are bringing to us so that we may grow properly," Niketu Iralu stated.
