Govt rebuts claims on greater Nagaland

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 26

Amid reported remarks on “Naga territories” by one of the Centre-NSCN-IM accord signatories Thuingaleng Muivah, the government yesterday came out with a statement strongly rebutting that it had agreed to carve out a greater Nagaland by carving out Naga-dominated areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

The rebuttal also came amid pressure after Congress’ demand for making public details of the accord reached in 2015. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the government claimed that the reports were “erroneous”. It said, “Some media reports have appeared recently to the effect that the Government of India has agreed to carve out a larger Nagaland State by taking away the territories of the states contiguous to Nagaland. Such reports are erroneous. It is clarified that there is no such agreement or decision of the Government of India.”

A senior MHA official otherwise insisted that the pact had only “set the political parameters for further negotiation to arrive at a final and lasting solution”. However, reportedly on last Wednesday, Muivah had told a council meeting of the NSCN (IM) at its headquarters in Hebron near Dimapur in Nagaland that the agreement “also recognises the legitimate right of the Nagas to integration of all Naga territories”. 

The Naga leader was reflecting on the terms of the Framework Agreement signed between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak Muivah) in August 2015. But so far the government has kept the same under wraps.