TODAY -
Book on Naga nationalism released
Source: The Sangai Express

New Delhi, September 11: A book on Naga national movement, titled �Let Freedom Ring� was released in a simple yet solemn function held at Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi yesterday evening at around 4:30.Outer Manipur MP Mani Cheranamei, as the chief guest released the book.

It was written by (L) AS Shimray and published by Promilla &Co, Publishers, New Delhi.

The author, who finished his PhD from NEHU after doing his post graduation from JNU, had died in 2002.The book is an edited version of his doctoral thesis.

Speaking on the occasion, MP Cheranamei said that the desire of the Naga people to live together under one administration was registered way back since 1928.The MP, who was never apologetic about his support for the Naga movement, also strongly lambasted successive Indian Governments for �failing to understand the genuineness of the Naga�s demand� for independence and integration.

He added that Nagas had never accepted the propaganda that only those Nagas living within the present Nagaland were real Nagas.

Supreme Court lawyer Nandita Haksar, who edited the book and who represented the NSCN in the Supreme Court and other courts for the last more than 20 years, stressed that a peace accord which was not based on a just and honest negotiation will never succeed.

She said that the Naga nationalists who took up arms would have much preferred to grow flowers had they not been compelled.

In a lengthy forward to the book, Ms Haksar traced her association with the Nagas and NSCN since a long time and argued that �till the time peace talks are treated as a part of counter-insurgency maneuvers instead of a political process to ride past injustices and wrongs the Indo-Naga conflict will continue�.

She charged the Centre and Manipur State Government of �fanning communal feelings between the Nagas and Meiteis� and cited the June 18 Holiday issue as an example.

Saying that funds �meant for tribal development are siphoned off for the valley, she alleged that Manipur State has tried to destroyed the integrity of Naga traditional institutions and systematically deprived Naga children of their right to their own language and history�.





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