Denouncing the remarks purportedly made by BJP Nagaland state unit president Temjen Imna Along during an interview with a regional new channel on June 10, 2021, the Naga Hoho (NH) Saturday asserted that Along’s remarks “totally negates the uniqueness of Naga Political history which is unacceptable to the Naga people.”
In a press release, NH president HK Zhimomi and general secretary K Elu Ndang said that Along had “literally ignored the existence of Naga nationhood and her political rights and further undermined thousands of precious lives who have fallen in the hands of occupationist” exhibiting his ignorance about his own identity.
According to NH, Imna Along stated that “…any solution that would come should be under the constitution of India and it should be under the Indian union. So anything that is good for the Naga people under the constitution of India should be pursued and should be done with”.
The hoho stated that Imna Along has “eroded” the leaders of different Naga political groups both past and present and the Naga intellectuals as if they were all “stooges.”
Asking why were there armed conflicts all over Naga areas and why was there peace talks for the last more than 23 years even after creation of statehood through 16 Point Agreement?, the NH questioned whether Naga peoples’ struggle for more than 70 years was to be under the Constitution of India?
Meanwhile, NH has welcomed the formation of the core committee on Naga political issue by the state government provided they were committed to resolve Naga political problem with the best interest and sincerity. The hoho expressed hope that the intervention of the core committee would be able to break the stalemate between the Government of India and political negotiators and bring unity among different Naga political groups. NH also expressed belief that the Naga society would be restored and witness a new dawn once the sixty elected members convince the people in their respective constituencies to stand together as one people towards “bringing Indo-Naga political problem to a logical conclusion.”
NH lamented that peace and tranquillity seemed to elude the Nagas till today due to various reasons from within and without despite commitments by successive Prime Ministers of India assuring a long lasting political solution to the protracted “Indo-Naga” political problem.
The hoho maintained that some influential Naga leaders “refuse to accept the realities of the Naga peoples political movement but harping to toe the line of the oppressors.”