Gen. Niki Sumi (Retd.), President, NSCN/GPRN, unfurls the Naga national flag during the 46th Naga Republic Day celebration at the GHQ Suruhuto Designated Camp on March 21. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Suruhuto | March 21
“Instead of thinking how to solve the Naga political issue, we think about how we will keep our position. This is why the Nagas cannot unite,” asserted General (Retired) Niki Sumi President, NSCN-K (Niki), at the 46th Naga Republic Day celebration held at the GHQ Suruhuto Designated Camp on Saturday.
Addressing the programme as chief guest, Sumi acknowledged disunity among Naga Political Groups (NPGS), noting that despite the presence of multiple NPGs, there are concerns over intentions, including his own. “We have forgotten the truth; then how will the India respect the Nagas?”
Urging political leaders to act with integrity, he emphasised the need to avoid corruption and instead prioritise the interests of the Naga people and their sacrifices.
Gen Sumi further held that youth unemployment was a “misleading issue” among the Naga people, asserting that without Naga sovereignty, benefits would remain confined to select groups while opportunities for the youth would remain limited within the existing state framework.
Questioning the existing agreements, he observed that both the Agreed Position and the Framework Agreement would ultimately result in a state arrangement, raising concerns over the sacrifices made in the process.
He further cautioned that any compromise on Naga identity and political rights could have broader implications, including on religious and cultural identity.
Also addressing the gathering, Starson Lamkang, Ato Kilonser, NSCN/GPRN, emphasised that the Indo-Naga political issue should not be reduced to a law and order matter and cautioned against such framing.
“We have to be very cautious of public leaders, be it overground or underground, who are trying to bring the Naga political issue into a law and order issue,” he added.
Lamkang further alleged that some NPGs are like “Judas Iscariot,” compromising the rights of the Naga people, and claimed that there were attempts to create divisions.
Reiterating the organisation’s position, he stated that the current arrangement is a ceasefire rather than a political dialogue, stressing that unity remains the foremost priority.
Unity should extend beyond NPGs to include tribal hohos and once this is achieved, the Nagas can collectively decide their course of action, he added.
Lamkang also asserted that the NSCN-K (Niki) does not align with existing agreements, stating, “We are not on the side of the Agreed Position nor the Framework Agreement. Unity should come first,” and reaffirmed the group’s stand on sovereignty “to protect the Naga identity today, tomorrow, and always.”
