DIMAPUR:
The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN (IM), has alleged that former Nagaland chief minister SC Jamir’s recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent out strong hints of signing of an agreement for the solution of the Naga issue based on the agreed position “which favours his political dream”.
“But in the process, he (Jamir) does not foresee that it will invite another era of bloodshed… The choice is left for the Prime Minister of India, either to choose Jamir the trouble maker or the permanent peaceful settlement of the Naga issue,” the NSCN (IM) said in a statement.
The government of India signed the agreed position agreement with the seven- Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) in 2017 while the Framework Agreement between the NSCN (IM) and the Centre was signed in 2015.
Stating that the agreed position is just a re-edited version of the 16-Point Agreement, the NSCN (IM) accused Jamir of campaigning for the new version of his 16-Point agreement. It also criticised him for his alleged “repeated disparaging remarks against the inclusion of the Naga flag and constitution in the Naga solution”.
The NSCN (IM) said Jamir misinterpreted the political meaning of every single word of the Framework Agreement to suit his own political agenda. It called the former chief minister a “political criminal”.
Stating that he is the only living architect and signatory to the 16-Point Agreement, the NSCN (IM) alleged that Jamir, who was serving as a parliamentary secretary at the time of the pact, “protested and successfully prevented” a meeting between the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Naga leader AZ Phizo to resolve the Naga issue once and for all, as “…Nehru knew very well that the 16 points would not go far enough to resolve the Naga issue.”
Jamir was also accused of attempting to “finish” the NSCN by raising forces like the Nagaland Youth Front, 9th Brigade and 6th Brigade and also implementing a dreaded policy of peace offensive with the permission of the government of India to go all out against the NSCN during his tenure as the Nagaland chief minister.
“With his inherent tendency to stoke fire of controversy, while the peace process was at its peak, Jamir published a book ‘Bedrock of Naga Society’ where he stated that the 16-Point Agreement is the Alpha and Omega for the Indo-Naga political agreement,” the statement said.
“Nevertheless, there was a high pitch for the success of the Naga political solution and the Naga people’s unflinching support was evidently displayed,” the NSCN (IM) said. It added that it finally resulted in the signing of the Framework Agreement which generated much political fervour.
After the signing of the Framework Agreement, Jamir has been burning the midnight oil “as he knew too well that his 16-Point Agreement was at a risk of being superseded”, the NSCN (IM) said. It went on to state that he also started attacking the Framework Agreement in various forms and outrageously misinterpreted it to suit his way.
It added that former interlocutor RN Ravi’s appointment as Nagaland governor “gave Jamir the best opportunity to divert and dilute the Framework Agreement.”
“Much to the fulfillment of his scheming political agenda, in 2017, a third party/force was created known as the NNPGs and an agreement was signed which is called ‘agreed position,’ targeted against the Framework Agreement,” it stated.