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.
Updated at 4th September 2026 at 1:48pm
If the government pushes through with suspending or gutting Article 371(A), the WC, NNPGs warned the Nagas hold the right to invoke the spirit of January 10, 1929, August 14, 1947, and May 16, 1951. These dates mark critical milestones in the Naga push for political recognition. The committee insisted that their long-standing struggle is a political issue, not a matter to be settled by judicial or administrative decrees.
Regarding natural resources, the group made it clear that Article 371(A) provides no license for leaders to auction off the region to outside interests. They demanded that any exploration of surface or sub-surface minerals wait until future generations of Nagas can decide the terms. They also called on New Delhi to stop political thugs from undermining the agreed-upon framework through shady memorandums.
The group slammed the idea of one group claiming to be more Indian than another, calling such notions unwise. They warned that the political leadership currently in power, specifically the ruling party, remains too beholden to RSS ideology. They argued that trying to force a religious identity on the country contradicts the vision held by India's founding figures and risks turning the diverse nation into a place where two separate Indias struggle to exist as one.
Comments