Peace talks halted after RSS objection: NSCN-IM

“The irony is that this matter was already resolved long back but the RSS factor came in between, questioning how there can be two flags and two constitutions,” the NSCN-IM statement said. “The manifesto of the RSS/Hindutva sharply contradicted the principle agreement of the FA. The actual point of delay started from here.”

The Naga peace talks have stalled because of objections raised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party, on the issues of a separate constitution and flag, the Isak-Muivah led National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) has claimed in a statement.

The Naga peace talks have stalled because of objections raised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party, on the issues of a separate constitution and flag, the Isak-Muivah led NSCN-IM has claimed. (Getty Images/Representative use)

The demand for a separate flag and constitution are “component ingredients” of the framework agreement (FA) of the Naga insurgent group signed with the central government in August 2015, the NSCN-IM said on Monday.

“The irony is that this matter was already resolved long back but the RSS factor came in between, questioning how there can be two flags and two constitutions,” the statement said. “The manifesto of the RSS/Hindutva sharply contradicted the principle agreement of the FA. The actual point of delay started from here.”

The insurgent group entered into a ceasefire agreement with the central government in 1997 and the two sides have been holding political dialogues since then. A group of seven Naga national political groups (NNPGs) also engaged in separate talks with the Centre in 2017.

NSCN (IM) has, in the past, maintained that any solution without recognising the Naga flag and constitution would be unacceptable to both the rebel group and the Naga people.

The Indian government has recognised the uniqueness of Naga history and NSCN-IM’s position that Nagas were never part of the Indian Union, either by conquest or consent, the insurgent outfit said. “Naturally, how can a Naga national movement be without a flag and a constitution?” it asked in the statement.

The framework agreement acknowledged and accepted the declaration of the Naga Independence Day on August 14, 1947, and the plebiscite of 1951. “Henceforth, the flag and the constitution are the embodiment of the FA,” it said.

The outfit also referred to talks with former interlocutor RN Ravi and former additional director of Intelligence Bureau and New Delhi’s current emissary AK Mishra, saying neither of the officials said there was no mention of the separate flag and constitution in the agreement.

“Ironically, the twists and turns of the flip-flopping habitual betraying character of the Government of India (GoI) comes up to take centre stage and sow the seeds of confusion in order to disown the FA. Certainly, GoI is entirely responsible for the delay,” it said.

Officials of the home affairs ministry did not comment on the matter.

The central government should not allow a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas, a leader of the RSS said. “How can we allow a state to have a separate flag and a constitution? Every state in the country has to accept our national flag and the Constitution,” the leader of the Hindu nationalist organisation said on condition of anonymity.

The people of Nagaland have no problem in honouring the national flag and the Constitution and it is only the NSCN-IM that is insisting on them, he added.

“Agreeing to the Nagas’ demand for a separate flag and constitution will not augur well for the country and open floodgates for other states, particularly the northeastern and border states,” said Gajanan Nimdeo, chief editor of Tarun Bharat, a Marathi language newspaper said to be pro-RSS.

NSCN-IM also accused the central government of dividing the Naga people by signing two separate agreements. “If the GoI is genuinely sincere to go for an early solution, why is it pursuing two agreements for one people and one common issue?” it asked.

“These two agreements are parallel in nature, one is within Indian Constitution and the other is outside the purview of the Indian Constitution. With this unwarranted policy, the Government of India is testing the nerve of the Nagas and delaying the whole process,” it added.

Inviting the NSCN-IM to New Delhi for peace talks without clearing up the contentious issues will not help expedite a Naga political solution, the outfit said.