A delegation of the Naga Hoho led by its President HK Zhimomi met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and submitted a memorandum on the non implementation of the 3 August 2015 Framework Agreement signed between the NSCN-IM and Government of India.
The Naga Hoho delegation met the Congress leader at Khuzama village ground. Gandhi had reached Khuzama village this evening as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Zhimomi said the delegation apprised the leader about the ongoing peace process which the government of India had committed but implementation of the said commitment is still pending.
“We told Rahul Gandhi to raise this matter in the parliament about the ongoing peace talk and the unimplemented framework agreement. So we told him that the Government of India is not sincere on Naga political solution,” said Zhimomi.
Zhimomi pointed out that many Christmases have gone by and the multiple assurances by the peace interlocutor and the GoI have not seen the light.
He said, the Congress leader has assured the delegation that the matter will be raised in the parliament.
Mentioning that the peace process was initiated by the Congress Party and the government at the same time, he said, the delegation also reminded him that it was under Congress who recognized the uniqueness of the Nagas however, till date there is no implementation for a solution.
Following is the text of the memorandum submitted by the Naga Hoho to Rahul Gandhi on 15th January 2023 during a meeting at the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra campsite at Khuzama Ground in Kohima district, Nagaland.
“We bring warm greetings and a very Happy New Year 2024 from the office of the Naga Hoho.
We, the undersigned on behalf of the Naga Hoho (Naga Parliament, a traditional socio-political
organization representing from all Naga inhabited areas) express our extreme pleasure and appreciation to you and your party for reaching out to all the corners of India with a message of solidarity and addressing Social, Economic and Financial inequalities prevalent in the nation, with an overarching emphasis on justice.
We write this letter to express our grave concern over the Peace Process between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India and to request you and your party leadership to facilitate for an honorable Indo-Naga Political settlement.
The ongoing Peace Talk was initiated during the Congress Party Government under the Prime Ministership of Late PV Narasimha Rao when he met the NSCN -IM Collective Leadership in Paris, France. The NSCN-IM entered into a formal Ceasefire Agreement with the Government of India on the 1st August 1997 for Political Talks as two entities based on the following three
conditions: (i) Without Pre- Conditions; (li) At the Prime Minister’s Level and (ill) In a Third Country.
During the Congress Government, Talks were held outside India in various countries, New York, Osaka, Netherlands, Bangkok, Chiangmai, Zurich, Geneva, Vienna and Millan. However, on the invitation of the Government of India with a commitment to expediate the Talks, the NSCN-IM was invited to Delhi.
After several rounds of Political Talks, it resulted into the signing of Framework Agreement of 3rd August, 2015 and the recognition of the ‘Uniqueness’ of Naga History and Situation by the
Government of India on the 11′ June, 2002 in Amsterdam. In addition, the Government of India has also recognized the idea of “Sharing Sovereign Power” and “Co-existence of the Two Entities” which means Naga people will be entitled to have their own National Flag and Constitution However, unfortunately the Government of India, despite its commitment for early Political settlement seems to drag on without any logical conclusion.
India under several Prime Ministers like PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujral and Dr. Manmohan Singh has taken keen interest in resolving the Naga Political issue which is still continuing. We are confident that strong political leadership can only find honourable solution which is acceptable to both India and the Naga people and bring about enduring peace in this strategic geographical location which is considered as a gateway to the South East Asian countries.
Several Peace Agreements and Accords from the 9-Point Agreement, the 16-Point Agreement to the infamous Shillong Accord of 1975 have not yielded the desired result for peace. The modus operandi of the Government of India has been to use ‘delaying tactics’ as its strategy with no sincerity and political will. It has resorted to ‘divide and rule’ policy to split the rank and files of the leaders of the Naga political groups by constructing and implanting divisive narratives so as to exploit it for manufacturing consent to force its most deceptive piecemeal packages as solutions to the Nagas’ aspiration for self-determination. Now that it has not worked thus far, the GOI seems to be thinking of reverting back to solutions through Military operations by exploiting the situations to its advantage. The situation in Naga areas is likely to deteriorate and descend into complete chaos and bloody conflicts once again if not resolved in time.
We implore upon you and your party leadership to kindly facilitate with the government of the day and settle the Naga political issue by honoring the hard-earned agreement of the Framework Agreement of the 3rd August, 2015 for an honorable and acceptable political solution.
We wish you a successful “Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra” as you undertake the journey to reach
out to every citizen of the country.”
