New Delhi: Reacting to reports about the possibility of a Naga peace deal being signed without the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), the rebel group has said media is reporting “distorted and manipulated stories” on the Naga issue.
Stating that truth cannot be ‘sacrificed at the altar of misinformation campaign’, NSCN(I-M) released a statement, alleging that “propaganda is also manufactured that NSCN leaders are simply using the flag and constitution issues to derail and delay the solution for the Naga issue”.
“It is the settlement of the pending issues that matters and not the deadline that need not be in tearing hurry,” the NSCN(I-M) said in the statement released Saturday.
Read the full statement here:
There is a very bemusing phenomenon taking place behind the informal talks going on in Delhi, on day to day basis between the Government of India represented by the IB team and the NSCN. The media has been pulled in to put pressure on NSCN by writing baseless but tormenting things about Naga Chief Negotiator Mr. Th. Muivah and other abhorrent things about the Naga solution.
The truth, however, shall never simply run away. The truth hit hard and NSCN had done it time and again to set the record straight. Like it or not it sent shockwaves across. NSCN was compelled to unleashed blistering attack against Mr. RN Ravi for his mischief on the Framework Agreement and other misdoings.
Shortly after informal talks started, known and unknown professional figures in media changed color to sell themselves doing the bidding of the intelligence agency that have something to grind against NSCN. This is what we are seeing in the media market floated with distorted and manipulated stories and articles on Naga issue targeting NSCN and its chief negotiator Mr. Th. Muivah. The truth, however, cannot be sacrificed at the altar of misinformation campaign launched against NSCN.
Deepika Singh who teaches Political Science in Delhi University is using the media platform such as News18.com to write on Naga issue but burnt her fingers when she went for the issue that is too big for her to handle. She was reckless from the word go as she went hammer and tongs against the NSCN General Secretary and Naga Chief Negotiator Mr. Th. Muivah accusing him for playing tribal card to scuttle any peace deal following the talks that took place after the First Indo-Naga ceasefire in September 4, 1964. It is, however, understood beyond an iota of doubt that Deepika Singh simply went for the Naga issue without knowing the head and tails. But she will go nowhere if she desperately tried to magnify her professional image by using the Naga issue to score points. But what provoked indignation was when she went far enough to arrogate herself to touch on Naga issue for the pleasure of malicious fabrications.
Mr. Shekhar Gupta who is the Editor-in-Chief of The Print is not new to the Naga political struggle. But he proved himself as a senior journalist who knows which side of the bread is buttered. He also published an article calling Mr. Muivah a “past master at scuttling Naga peace deals” on tribal line. But he was also grounded as his writing finds no historical records to support his accusations against Mr. Muivah.
All these baseless accusations against Mr. Th. Muivah is nothing but malicious falsehood to further confuse the Naga people at this critical stage. All said and done, Deepika Singh and Shekhar Gupta proved themselves as nothing more than malicious mischief mongers. Propaganda is also manufactured that NSCN leaders are simply using the flag and constitution issues to derail and delay the solution for the Naga issue. Flag and constitution are the heart and soul of the Naga political movement. Flag is the political identity of the Naga people and constitution tells of the Naga people as a nation and shows the way forward as a distinct people who would not give up their land in lieu of anything.
There is also wild media speculation that NSCN’s Chinese government connection is forcing the NSCN to go slow in negotiating with the Government of India. Such unfounded allegations targeting NSCN is seen in the social media.
The same unpleasant situation created by Ravi last year when he set October 31st as deadline to seal the deal is being propagated by the media wherein it is mentioned that the deal may have to be signed by September 2020, even without NSCN. Such an unhealthy manner of conducting talks between two entities is against the spirit of Indo-Naga political peace process that has travails 23 years where mutual respect and consent has carried the talks all along. It is the settlement of the pending issues that matters and not the deadline that need not be in tearing hurry. This is rather interpreted as testing the nerve of NSCN as prodded by vested interests when informal talks are going on day to day basis with the IB team to smoothen the competencies.
Given the timing selected by the propagandist targeting Mr. Th. Muivah and NSCN there is coordinated attempt in collusion with the Indian intelligence agencies and the Home ministry officials to create confusion, division and create fear psychosis and threat perception within the Nagas. Going beyond this, the propagandists wanted to create insecurity feeling, hatred and bigotry. However, the Naga people are no longer naive to this kind of manipulated media onslaught launched with venomous and divisive sting.
Also read: Delay in Naga peace process is intentional and suits NSCN(I-M) chief Muivah