The Congress on Saturday attacked the Narendra Modi government, questioning the Naga accord signed last year and wondered if the Centre had entered into an agreement with the NSCN(IM) "compromising India's sovereignty and integrity".
The Congress also wanted to know if the Modi government had promised the Nagas a separate flag other than the Tricolour and separate passports other than Indian passports.
The Congress attack follows an interview given by T. Muivah (82), General Secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), to The Hindu newspaper in which he said that the Nagas had not given up on their demand for sovereignty.
In August 2015, the BJP government signed a framework agreement for the peace accord with NSCN(IM).
Muivah, whose NSCN-IM signed the framework agreement with the government last year, said that a separate flag and passport for Nagas was not just a 'demand' but a 'right' as the Nagas were never under Indian rule.
Congress also said they would raise the issue in Parliament during the monsoon session. They demanded that the framework of the accord should be made public.
"Has the Modi government entered into an agreement with NSCN(IM), compromising India's sovereignty? Has the government agreed on a shared sovereignty of India for the Nagas," asked Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"Press statements made by the NSCN(IM) general secretary talk of an agreement with Modi government questioning our integrity. This has stunned the nation," he said.
Surjewala further pointed out: "NSCN(IM) said a separate flag and passport for the Nagas was not just a demand but a right, as Nagas were never under Indian rule. He also said the framework is secret because until a complete settlement is done, some secrecy will have to be kept."
Surjewala said the Modi government must give details of the agreement with the Nagas. He blamed the government for not taking into confidence the northeastern states before signing the agreement.
"Whether the Modi government has or will take into confidence the elected governments of Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur before entering into an agreement for 'alteration of territories' of these states," he questioned.
"Has the Modi government promised a separate flag for the Nagas other than the Tricolour? Has the Modi government agreed to give separate passports other than Indian passports? What are the details of this secret framework agreement entered into by Modi government," Surjewala asked.
"While the Indian National Congress fully supports finding a lasting peaceful solution to the Naga problem through the process of dialogue, it has to be compulsorily within the four corners of our constitutional framework without a whisper of compromise on India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.
--IANS
mg-vidhi/bim/bg
