Global Naga Forum condemns statement by Governor Ravi on Statehood Day, terms it as "misleading"

KOHIMA: The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has condemned the statement made by Governor R N Ravi on the occasion of Nagaland's 58th Statehood Day and termed it as "puerile, self-contradictory and misleading."

"R N Ravi's sterile narrative that glorifies the opportunistic educated middle-class elites who betrayed the Nagas and became collaborators of the oppressors to create a truncated Nagaland as the "Founding Fathers" of Nagaland is oxymoronic. History bears testimony to the fact that the creation of the state of Nagaland in 1963 and the politics of betrayal machinated and executed through carrot and stick and divide and rule policies has not worked and will never succeed," the Forum stated in a release.

It further added that the speech sheds light on RN Ravi's "intent and inability to perform his role as the Interlocutor of the lndo-Naga political dialogue." What the Indo Naga process need is a statesman as an interlocutor that will have the heart and intellect to objectively engage with the issue, it said.

R N Ravi's unrestrained comments that the NSCN (IM) is a militia predominantly of the Tangkhul Naga tribe of Manipur. and the 'ceasefire' between the Government of India and the NSCM (IM) is a "reckless ceasefire.' pushing the Naps into a state of civil war informs us of his lack of appreciation for a process that started through the Prime Minister of India and has continued through the various Indian leadership, it further added.

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It further pointed out that the history and the genesis of the 1997 ceasefire between the GOl and the NSCN (IM) was entered into for political talks to be held without any pre-condition at the Prime Ministerial level in a third neutral country.

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"The centrality of RN Ravi's speech that there can be no political solution above the present state of Nagaland is to advance this divisive agenda and by proclaiming that some people are standing as a roadblock to the aspirations of the people of Nagaland though the political talks have been concluded on October 31. 2019 harms India more than the Nagas knowing fully well that the talks have been dragging on because of lack of political wisdom of India," it further added.

Agreeing with RN Ravi that the heart of Nagas Naga-land lives in its villages. the Global Naga Forum dared the governor to call for a plebiscite in all the villages of Nagas to determine their political future.

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