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G Vinayak in Guwahati
With the collective leadership of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Issac-Muivah) firmly rejecting the Centre's latest proposal to limit the ceasefire to the territorial limits of Nagaland, cadres of the banned outfit are likely to go on the offensive in the coming days.
The statement issued from Amsterdam where two top leaders of the NSCN (IM) -- Chairman Issac Chisi Swu and General Secretary Th Muivah -- are currently based, said, "During the two-day talks with the Centre's negotiator K. Padmanabhaiah in Amesterdam, nothing was finalsed on the review of the June 14 Bangkok agreement."
Therefore, New Delhi's assertion that the ceasefire will now be within territorial limits of Nagaland is unacceptable, the statement added.
The agreement of June 14, which had for the first time said that the four-year-old ceasefire with the outfit would be 'without territorial limits', had sparked off a major protest in neighbouring states like Manipur and Assam.
On Friday, the Centre revoked the Bangkok agreement after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee consulted with chief ministers of all northeastern states.
All of them, except Nagaland chief minister SC Jamir, were against the extension of ceasefire beyond Nagaland.
The latest development is likely to spark off another spell of turmoil in the coming days.
Five Naga organisations of Manipur and the powerful Naga Students Federation on Sunday resolved to work against the Centre's 'unilateral' decision and said that if New Delhi understands the language of violence, then the Nagas would be forced to take that path.
Nagas of four Manipur districts - Senapati, Tamenglong, Ukhrul and Chandel - are angry over the Union government's decision and are of the opinion that the decision is going to invite more trouble in the State in the coming days.
"Central government is going to create a big civil war in Manipur between the Nagas and the Meities by taking such a unilateral decision without taking our consent," said Hempuni Kayina of Memai Tribe Council after attending a crucial meeting of the Naga organisations of Manipur at Senapati.
A total bandh was observed in the Senapati district on Sunday as a mark of protest of the July 29 decision while Naga students' bodies of Manipur launched an economic blockade on National Highways 39 and 53, the lifeline of Manipur.
The majority Meities living mostly in the narrow Imphal Valley have been protesting violently against the June 14 agreement between NSCN (I-M) and the Centre which had extended the ceasefire beyond Nagaland.
The intensity of the protests forced the government to make a neat U-turn over the issue which has now angered the NSCN (I-M) and the people of Nagaland.
The convenor of the ceasefire monitoring cell of the NSCN (I-M) Phungthing Shimrang, however, said it is unfortunate that when the Nagas have always helped the neighbouring communities in their fights for their rights, some communities are today opposing the Nagas' struggle for their rights.
"What is wrong if the Nagas want to live as one people under one entity?" he asked.
He added adding that Nagas are not demanding an inch of land which is not theirs. He said that just because Jawaharlal Nehru and prior to him the Britishers had divided the Nagas, it did not mean that the Nagas have to live as a divided race.
"Earlier, many of the northeastern States were part of the Assam province. Does it mean that all the states which were formed by carving certain areas out of the Assam province have taken away the land belonging to the Assamese people?" queried Phungthing Shimrang.
Reiterating that the Naga people would not accept limiting the ceasefire to the Nagaland State only, the NSCN (I-M) leader alleged that the Centre is inconsistent in its approach in finding a solution to the Naga political problem.
He also alleged that the security forces were violating the ceasefire ground rules by arbitrarily raiding the NSCN (I-M)'s camps and the houses of NSCN (I-M) leaders.
ALSO SEE: NSCN (I-M) activities under close scrutiny
Complete coverage of the Naga truce issue
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