A Naga couple dressed in traditional attire. Picture by UB Photos

Naga integration is a tricky proposition with Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh refusing to compromise with their maps

It is heartening to note that not only the Government of India but the central leadership of the NSCN (I-M) group, including the Naga civil society, have shown keen interest to find out durable and lasting solution to the six-decade-old Naga problem. In the meantime, much water has flown in the Brahmaputra, ticklish questions about the Nagas and their original homeland have been raised, a lot of blood has been shed, precious lives have been lost and at the top of it, both the Government of India and the Nagas have suffered irreparable loss and damage. Development in Nagaland has almost come to a grinding halt.

The shadows of past terror, insurgency, violence and oppression by the Government of India with an iron hand still haunts the Naga psyche today. Nagas feel that their homeland has been forcibly occupied by the Indian state, great injustice has been done to them and they have been denied the right to self-determination. They have been saying that only three Indian leaders i.e. M.K. Gandhi, the father of the nation, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Chakarvarty Rajgopalacharia not only understood and appreciated their problem but supported their assertion for sovereignty and independence. Even Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, miserably failed to appreciate the Naga problem.

Historically speaking, Nagaland was never a part of India until the advent of the British. It was never part of any of the 16 republics that flourished in the sixth century BC in this part of the globe. Further, Nagaland was never a part of the Mauryan, Kushana, Guptas, Turko-Afghan and even the Mughal empire. There are no historical and cartographic records anywhere to show that Nagaland was ever a part of the Indian empire or any of the kingdoms in the past. It is only when the British came to India and had political and economic interest in the Northeastern Frontier, including Burma, present day Myanmar, that Nagaland, including other parts of the Northeast, were made part of the British empire through force and diplomacy. The Nagas showed strong resistance and fought a bloody battle with the British in the beginning but were ultimately subdued. In the end, the Nagas not only embraced Christianity but became a part of the British empire in India.

After India achieved independence, the freedom-loving Nagas refused to be a part of free India. Their argument was that the British forcibly occupied Nagaland, so after they quit India, they should have handed over Nagaland to the Nagas. Further, their argument was (and rightly so) that the question of succession does not arise because they were never a part of India and the occupation force that is the government of India must vacate their land.

The rebellious Nagas got organised under the able leadership of late A.Z. Phizo. Violence and bloodshed ensued in Nagaland. Phizo left Nagaland and only his dead body came back to India.

Now, for whatever reasons, the majority of the Nagas have given up their demand for sovereignty and independence but they insist, and rightly so, on a negotiated and honourable settlement of the issue keeping in view the uniqueness of Naga history and culture. In concrete terms, it means the return of the original Naga homeland. That is to say, the demand is that the Naga-inhabited areas of the adjoining states of Nagaland must be integrated with Nagaland forthwith. If the proposal is accepted, then four districts of Manipur, Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenglong and Chandel, some portions of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hill districts of Assam, Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh have to be integrated with Nagaland.

It may be mentioned in this connection that the very proposal has evoked widespread protests in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The chief ministers of these states have stated that they will not allow even an inch of land from their respective states to be integrated with Nagaland. As a result, it has created a stumbling block even before the start of the official talk with the NSCN (I-M) leadership.

Now the question is if integration is not allowed then most likely the Naga peace talks will not be successful and if somehow integration is made possible it will lead to further problems in the Northeast. What is to be done to solve the problem?

Answers to these questions and hence the solution to the Naga problem depends on answers to certain fundamental and basic questions relating to individual, community, democracy and state formation. If the majority of the Nagas in the adjoining areas of the contiguous states of Nagaland wish to be integrated with the Nagaland state, in fitness of things, the Centre and the governments in the respective states should not have any objection to it.

After they had set foot on the Northeast, the Bristishers put various Naga areas in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh (the then Nefa). They did it arbitrarily for their administrative convenience and the Government of India even after independence did not try to rectify and redraw the state boundary lines.

Though Nehru accepted in principle the formation of states on linguistic and cultural basis, he could not succeed in this respect because of various reasons. Till date, Telengana and Vidarbha states have not been formed. It took more than 50 years on the part of the Jharkhandis to have a separate state. In a democracy, it is expected and desirable that before people demand anything the government should implement it if the demand is reasonable and rational.

At present the Nagas are simply demanding the integration of Naga inhabited states with Nagaland and this is very much in tune with the provisions of article 3 of the Constitution.

The government of India is empowered and entitled to redraw and rearrange the state boundaries of there is a need. At present there is an urgent need. It is a legitimate demand of the Nagas to live together as a community.

The politicians who argue that the state boundaries of the Northeast cannot be disturbed are saying this keeping in mind their self-interest at the expense of others. By solving the Naga problem, the government will be solving a major problem of the country. To begin with, the exclusive Naga areas of the adjoining states should be merged with Nagaland and a state reorganisation commission should be constituted to look into the possibility of merger of other areas with Nagaland by taking into account the wishes of the Nagas to live together as a community within the framework of the Constitution.

It is desirable and expected that the central leadership and the politicians of the Northeast do not allow their mind to be clouded with personal and selfish considerations while taking a decision about the restoration of the original Naga homeland. In return, the Nagas must learn to reciprocate. The Nagas must learn to live in peace and cordiality with their neighbours.