Kohima, Jan. 15: After the Khaplang faction of the NSCN, another militant outfit of the state — the Naga National Council (NNC) — has strongly opposed the ongoing peace talks in New Delhi between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M). The Walling and Nagi faction of the NNC, in a statement issued by its president I. Panger Walling and general secretary Vizosielhou Nagi, said, “The NSCN (I-M) is only a faction and does not constitute a properly mandated organisation representing the views of the Naga people as a whole.”
The NNC said the Nagas would not except a piecemeal solution to the 55-year-old conflict and condemned the Centre for what it termed “effectively implementing divide and rule policy” in dealing with the Indo-Naga political issue.
Stressing the need to have a stamp of consensus of “all concerned” on any agreement that would be worked out for a solution to the Naga problem, the NNC criticised the Centre for not building on the consensus that was evolved at the Atlanta meet in 1997.
The Atlanta meet was organised by the American Baptist Churches, which was attended by churches, NGOs, and militant leaders from Nagaland. The NSCN (I-M), however, did not participate in the meet.
The outfit also iterated its stand for the recognition of Nagaland in its entirety. It said, “All the Naga inhabited areas, including parts of eastern Nagaland, which is divided by arbitrary boundary made by India and Myanmar and which is still free land administered by the Nagas, should be recognised as one entity.”
In this context, it said the NNC was opposed to any political settlement “relating to just one part of the land and its people by any group or faction.”
The NNC had boycotted the first general elections in 1952.