Nagas will not merge with Union of India, but will coexist; says NSCN (IM)

The NSCN-IM has made it clear that Nagas will not merge with the Union of India and are ready to co-exist.

An NSCN-IM release issued on Wednesday said, the Nagas and the Indians are inseparably inter-related in many fields and must learn to co-exist for mutual benefits. The Nagas will not merge into the Union of India, but they will co-exist with the Union of India as two entities.

The NSCN-IM further said that the Nagas are a recognized entity and do not accept the Indian constitution. It however said that Nagas and Indians will share sovereign powers based on competencies.

Meanwhile, the NSCN-IM also indirectly demanded to be treated as the sole arbiter in the ongoing Peace Talks.

It questioned the very legitimacy of the so-called stakeholders trying to get involved in the Naga Peace Talks. Without mincing words, the NSCN-IM said, opportunists, deserters, opponents and detractors who have never fought for the Naga cause have now started claiming their shares when solution is around.

The NSCN-IM, meanwhile termed the Framework Agreement as the meeting point for the Nagas and Indians and said it will be a horrible loss for both if they miss the second bus.

Weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Nagaland Governor RN Ravi to wrap up the Naga Peace Talks by November, the NSCN-IM has made it clear that merger with India was never be the objective.