Kohima: The Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups warned the Indian government that any attempt to suspend or axe Article 371(A) threatens to reopen the Naga political question. They claim negotiations are done. They are just waiting for the official word.
Talks held from 2017 to 2019, which involved former interlocutor RN Ravi, focused on an inclusive deal. The group brought their history, culture, and ancestral land to the table. They insist both sides must respect these terms. The group noted that the Nagas and the government agreed in principle to find a political solution, invoking, entrenching and adding clauses in the relevant instruments of the Indian Constitution under federal structure as two entities.
Article 371(A) serves as the primary link between the union and the Naga people. Tampering with it, the committee warned, would drag the region back to a pre-statehood status. They also pushed back against small memorandums of understanding regarding natural resources. They argued that any extraction of minerals or rare earths should wait for future Naga generations.
The group blamed the State Government, bureaucracy, and security agencies for allowing anti-solution elements to grow. They claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah might be getting bad intel. They also referenced the 2015 Framework Agreement with NSCN (IM) and their own 2017 Agreed Position as commitments the government cannot ignore.
The statement widened its scope to critique the push for a Hindu Rashtra. They invoked the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, and BR Ambedkar to define a secular nation. They told the RSS to remain sensible. They argued that one nation cannot exist as two separate entities. The group urged the government to honor the agreements, noting that a settlement would help the rest of the country feel respected.
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