Bravado of 'uniqueness and greatness' have little meaning. Each letter to Niti Aayog will ought to start with the phrase - Sir/Madam we
beg to state.
That's the economic reality. That's life.
Congress encouraged 'appeasement'. BJP seems angry about appeasement of Muslims. They forgot that appeasement to all anti-India forces can take you nowhere.
***
The garden does no longer have trees ..... it only has walls.
One is reminded of this oneliner while trying to have a second reading and attempt making an objective analysis of the speech made by Thuingaleng Muivah, NSCN-IM general secretary at Somdal.
In his speech, the aging militant rather made a surprising mention of 'old engagements' with Indian army and others.
He said:
"the ambush on February 18th, 1982, at Namthilok in the Ukhrul district of present-day Manipur was a significant engagement.
In this action, the Naga Army, commanded by the now-Lieut. Gen. V S Atem, VC, AEM (Retd.), Deputy Ato Kiloner, along with senior NSCN members like Mr. Angelus Shimrah and others, successfully ambushed the 21st Sikh Light Infantry. The battle was a clear signal to India that the 1975 Shillong Accord was dead at birth."
The NSCN was floated on Jan 1, 1980 -- at least five years after Shillong Accord -- which was inked on Nov 11, 1975. So the ambush came seven years since the controversial pact was signed.
Of course, in the northeast, the 1982 ambush remains one of the most talked about incidents in the conflict's history. This was first test on loyalty to Chinese schools of guerilla warfare.
The attack resulted in death of 19 braveheart Indian Army soldiers including one Major.
Muivah also mentioned in his Oct 22 speech about the Oinam attack in Senapati District of 1987. These references require reading between the lines.
Firstly, he is trying to 'defend' his very existence and his career of violence and clashes with the Indian security forces.
I say this in the context of interaction I used to have with Late Naga protagonist of nationalism - Hokishe Sema (a former CM and ex Governor of Himachal Pradesh). When one ambush by militants had taken place in Zunheboto district in the 1990s -- Hokishe had said --
"Such things will keep happening...".
He looked up and used his walking stick pointing towards the cloud .... and gazed into the distance with the sadness of a man who was unable to see the suffering of his people.
"These are lame attempts by undergrounds to try and justify to the people as to what the insurgents have been doing in the name of a movement .... They are at pains to reinforce with the people".
One gets the same feeling with the rhetoric of Muivah. There was nothing new and that way -- perhaps the last public speech of a supposed to be a stalwart was hardly inspiring.
Forget statesmanship -- as we often find in the speeches of S C Jamir - Muivah's message lacked pragmatism, maturity and normal diplomacy.
In the ultimate - how did Naga people take his so-called 'historic' speech.
-- ** One takeaway -- we are not surprised by the content.
Secondly; mere 'age' does not make a man -- the monk.
And thirdly and importantly -- the politics of despair have engulfed Naga life. And this is where the leadership of Neiphiu Rio heading a government alongside the 'party with a difference' has failed utterly.
Thus, on Oct 22 -- Muivah at his rhetoric best only reflected a 'passionate chronicle' of his love affair with failures and stories of betrayals.
What did he achieve after so many years of stay 'over seas' running between Amsterdam, Paris and Bangkok and at the same time allowed his people to kill people indiscriminately.
The killings of Kuki Christmas shoppers in December 1995 was such an episode.
So was the killing of Chalie Kevichusa (1992) and the then deputy commissioner. Kohima L V Reddy 1995.
Has Muivah sought to ignore H S Ramsan also known as Awo Hanshi and his gang? Reports from Ukhrul say - now there too 'double taxation' formula is being applied. Youths will be lured in too.
In July 2024 H S Ramsan and Absalom Raman were suspended by the NSCN-IM.
**
Nagas in Nagaland and outside should ponder -- what does it speak of a Naga leader who claims to be championing the cause of the entire community did not utter a word of regret.
And also that that he needed three months of preparation and ground works with the assistance of Indian army to visit his own native village.
Where is that moral conviction ?
In short, the writings on the wall can be seen quite clearly. It is also alarming that the Nagas have already entered a political catastrophe because of their own follies.
The mission or intent to reimagine the long-standing Naga’s national struggles for a dignified future remains illusive if not directionless.
Muivah has sought to give a crystal message that the Solution was never an idea of his faction when it came forward for talks with the I K Gujral regime.
The then communist Home Minister of India, Indrajit Gupta (a fine gentleman but a poor administrator) and the likes of Babus such as K Padmanabhaia were taken for a ride.
The Intangki angle as was alleged by a team headed by a retired civil servant ought to be studied again.
Gujral as PM did not do his part of the home work and announced the ceasefire the day there was turmoil in Janata Dal and Lalu Prasad was arrested.
Unfortunately, states like Nagaland are born in tears. They have not stopped flowing yet and such leaders either in Delhi, Kohima and Ukhrul were and will continue to be responsible.
Hence, it is high time - the Naga people, Hohos (despite the Bolero rides) and others decide -- enough is enough.
The NNPG has ambitious individuals. But they will do well to come together. They need not pass comments or react to Muivah's speech.
But they ought to bury the differences and insist with the Home Ministry that we all want to give peace a chance.
This occasion will be also corrective time if no much time is wasted on the diversionary tactics of some individuals to send Naga youths and middle-aged men to Mangolia to rediscover Naga connections.
This is not the time to lose the sight of the 'ball' and the goal post when someone is displaying PhD degrees while delivering lectures on Naga Regionalism.
Arms rebellion has done enough damage. The politics may gradually shift to more radical regionalism -- like the kind we have in Tamil Nadu.
Do not be anti-India just for the sake of it. Some selfish hooligans will exploit you. Each letter to Niti Aayog and Union Finance Ministry will ought to start with the phrase - Sir/Madam we beg to state.
That's the economic reality. Do not bank on those who display faulty realism of Bravado -- uniqueness and greatness. The greatness also comes in accommodating others.
That Hindutva and Indian civilisation have cherished for ages. Do not hate the helpless rickshawallah on the street. He will go back to Nitish Kumar's Bihar.
The Bangladeshi fish seller will teach your children mix up -- salutation Kuknalim with 'Akbar the great' stories. That's more dangerous.
ends
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