Two days after Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said that the Centre was working on an “acceptable and honourable settlement” to the decades-old political conflict in Nagaland, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM) has dubbed it as “nothing more than another political gimmick to deceive and confuse the Naga public by dishonouring the accepted historical facts”.

The NSCN(IM) also reiterated its three demands — carrying on unconditional talks, of holding talks at the highest (Prime Minister’s) level, and of holding talks in a “third neutral” country.

A statement issued by the publicity wing of the NSCN(IM) here also described the Centre’s up coming proposal as a “betrayal of promises and commitment made at the highest level” which also exposed the “insincerity” of New Delhi towards the Naga question.

The NSCN(IM) statement said that it stood for “unquestionable sovereign right of the Naga people over every inch of Nagalim, whatever may be and admit of no other existence whatever”. Stressing that it would not hold talks (with the government of India) “at the expense of the Naga people,” the NSCN(IM) statement said “for the Nagas, to have sovereignty, it is essential that our aspiration for all Naga areas to be unified is fully realised.”

Union Home Secretary Pillai had on Tuesday said at Kohima that the Centre was contemplating a broad-based “political package” for Nagas for an “acceptable and honourable settlement” to the decades-old political conflict. Before finalising the “counter proposals” to the NSCN(IM)’s charter of demands, the Centre would also take into account views and opinions of the cross-section of Naga society, he had said.

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