Nagaland status: Govt, NSCN (IM) tussle continues on I-Day eve

Nagaland Governor Jagdish Mukhi stated that Nagaland will always remain an integral part of the country, a statement seen as a counter to the insurgent group, NSCN (IM), which also on Sunday claimed that Nagas are neither Indians nor Burmese.

"My dear Naga brothers and sisters, Nagaland has been and shall ever remain an integral part of India. Preserving our unique cultural identity, we must break the colonial miasma and march in step with the rest of the country in our journey of shared prosperity," Mukhi said in his speech on the eve of Independence Day celebrations.

Mukhi also congratulated the people of Nagaland for responding to the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and taking part in the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign by hoisting the tricolour in every household.

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"Your march into the future has to keep pace with the change around and it cannot be by looking into the rear-view mirror. Maintaining strong emotional and cultural bonds with your custom, tradition and identity and overcoming the narcissism of minor differences, you have to race ahead keeping pace with time, technology and contemporary realities," the Governor said.

Nagas are neither Indians nor Burmese:

Hours after Mukhi's statement, NSCN (IM) chief Thuingaleng Muivah reiterated the outfit's claim that Nagas are neither Indians nor Burmese. "We are Nagas by blood, by culture and by history, who profess the same faith and political concept. We are neither Indians nor Burmese. There should be no doubt about it that Nagas have been a sovereign people from time immemorial, which makes our history unique," Muivah said in his speech during the "celebration of Naga Independence Day" at "camp Hebron" near Dimapur on Sunday. Cadres and leaders of the NSCN(IM) have been living in the camp at Hebron since the signing of the ceasefire with the government in 1997.

"Cease-fire is a political terminology. It is the harbinger of peace. Cease-fire has been with the Nagas for 25 years now. But we see no meaning in the cease-fire that does not embark upon political negotiation. And we see no meaning in negotiation if it cannot deliver a solution," Muivah said.

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Muivah said the agreements signed in the past did not bring a solution because they "betrayed the Naga national principle." "The Nagas are looking for an issue-based solution. And that we are opposed to the imposition of Indian will on the Nagas."

"The Nagas have endured 25 years of gruelling ceasefire living up to our commitment for a peaceful solution of the Naga political issue. We have also waited patiently for seven long years after the historic Framework Agreement was signed on the 3rd August 2015. We have not left any stone unturned of what it takes to bring a solution that is honourable, inclusive, and acceptable to both the Nagas and the Government of India. The ball is now in the court of the Government of India to make the right move and to fulfil the commitment given to the Nagas," he said.

The final solution with the NSCN-IM is stuck in the outfit's insistence on recognition of the Naga national flag and Constitution, something already rejected by the government. On Sunday too, the outfit hinted that its "core demands" are not negotiable.