NSCN-IM or NSCN(IM)
Image credit - Twitter MIP_GPRN

NSCN (IM) on Saturday said if the Centre’s interlocutor for Nagaland “finds pleasure” to handle the Naga issue as a ‘law and order’ problem, he is “not the right person” to solve the problem.

With this statement, the NSCN(IM) verbally attacked Nagaland Governor and Centre’s interlocutor RN Ravi without naming him.

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“Any Indian Interlocutor who represents the GoI needs to prove himself as a man who stands committed to solve the longest political conflict in Southeast Asia,” the NSCN(IM) said on Saturday on its official twitter handle.

“But if he finds pleasure to handle the Naga issue as a ‘law and order’ problem he is not the right person to solve the long standing Indo-Naga problem,” it said.

The outfit further said: “Such an Indian interlocutor will rather complicate and prolong the process which is not the desire of both the Indians and the Nagas.”

Ravi recently wrote a letter to Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio demanding action against “armed gangs” who were “brazenly running their so-called governments” and challenging the legitimacy of the state.

Taking advantage of peaceful environment created by the Indo-Naga ceasefire there were offshoots of pseudo-nationalists tagged with high sounding names, the outfit said.

“But in the long run they proved themselves nothing less than commercialized org. least connected with Naga political issue,” it tweeted.

Clarifying that it is not a “gang”, but a recognized and legitimate national organization, the outfit said: “NSCN is the recognized and legitimate national organization of the Naga people and not a gang.”

“Nobody cried foul against such mushrooming of mercenary groups which is the root cause of the problem today that smears the ongoing #IndoNaga political process,” it said.

The NSCN (IM) continued it is a bona fide member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), which is a parallel organization to the United Nations (UN).

“In the history of UNPO, which is the parallel organization to the UN, to which NSCN is a bona fide member, no gang has found its place as member. Only legitimate political organizations of peoples and nations are admitted in the fold of UNPO,” the organization asserted.

Meanwhile, the NSCN (IM) on Saturday said it does not commit extortion at any point of time but collect “legitimate” taxes from the people.

It said it is the inherent right of any sovereign people and nation to collect taxes from the people and commercial establishments.

“This is the universal practice as seen all over the world. Taxes have been the sources of sustenance that has brought the Naga political movement this far,” it said.