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It's Nagas' land, not PM's: NSCN
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060403/asp/guwahati/story_6049952.asp | ||
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OUR CORRESPONDENT | ||
Dimapur, April 2: Not taking kindly to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's refusal to give in to the integration demand, the NSCN (I-M), in a terse yet cautious reaction, has iterated the Naga people's claim to their land. The outfit has asserted that it is the right of the Naga people to lay claim to their own land. "It is not the Prime Minister's land nor does it belong to the NSCN: it belongs to the Naga people," NSCN (I-M) kilo kilonser (home minister), Rh. Raising told The Telegraph. Raising said it was difficult to comment further on the agenda of the peace talks or speculate about its outcome. But another leader said on condition of anonymity that the Prime Minister could not be blamed as he would have to make statements in view of the ongoing elections in Assam. Integration of Naga areas of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh is the primary demand of the NSCN (I-M). Singh's statements yesterday echoed what former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said in Kohima in October 2003. He said redrawing of the boundaries could not take place unless consensus was achieved among the states. Other than Nagaland, all states are averse to the idea of carving out "Nagalim" from their territories. But Kraibo Chawang, the outfit's deputy kilonser for information and publicity, said: "We are not claiming anyone's land but only our own. So we expect Delhi to react positively in the forthcoming talks." The talks, slated to be held in April, could prove crucial, as the outfit has been vocal about abrogating the nine-year-old ceasefire if the Centre does not concede to its demand for integration. Against this backdrop, the outfit is going to the people at the grassroots level in Nagaland and other Naga-dominated areas and making its point. The rebel group claimed it was pleased with the views it was eliciting from the people. A senior leader, however, did not disclose whether the views favoured a continuance of the ceasefire or a return to arms. In an unrelated development, former Nagaland chief minister and incumbent Goa governor S.C. Jamir has issued a communiqué from Panaji. In it, he said Nagas should work out a political framework with the Centre "which can protect the future of the Naga people, their distinct identity and economic well-being by way of some financial package". This is probably Jamir's first comment on the Naga issue after he took up the gubernatorial assignment in July 2004. On the viability of an "independent Nagaland", Jamir said the world has changed tremendously in the past few decades and so necessities, too, have changed. |
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