The latter had reportedly accused Nagaland pointing as a breeding place for terrorists in the northeast. “This is a serious matter in the eye of the nation, in front of the chief ministers of India. Such irresponsible utterances and accusation is unfounded and uncalled for”, the former Nagaland minister stated in response to the Assam Chief Minister’s statement on terrorism.
Ngullie, who is now advisor to the newly formed United Naga Democratic Socialist Party (UNDSP) went on to claim that Assam government was one of the ‘factors’ which created ‘situation in Nagaland whereby an innocent Naga, “most popular and handsome sportsman were shot down by Officer In-charge (OC) Assam Police at Kohima in the year 1950”’.
Ngullie stated that this was the beginning of provocation and open challenge to the “innocent and harmless Nagas”. Ngullie went on to add that the “Nagas have never killed innocent civilians in the State ever since the Indian generals and bureaucrats who conducted counter-insurgency operation in Nagalim”.
The former minister also pointed out that former Chief Minister of Assam Medhi visited some parts of Nagaland to assess the situation and ‘bring down the independence movement and to destroy and eradicate it completely’.
It was alleged that instead of bringing peace between the government and the Nagas, such an action only antagonized the Nagas creating rift between the people of the two states and that the former chief minister Medhi “brought the Army to operate against the Nagas”.
In contrast, Ngullie stated that Late PB Chaliha visited Nagaland as leader of the Socialist Party and that among the Nagas, his work of understanding and love between the Assamese and the Nagas were restored. As a reward for his ‘good works’, the Nagaland Baptist churches demanded his inclusion in the peace talks between the Naga undergrounds and the government of India.
Ngullie went on to state that, as Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi could not bring out any solution with regard to the insurgent groups of Assam, especially with the ULFA, ‘which is the strongest organization in Assam today’. “Instead, he should be ashamed of increasing terrorist groups in the State of Assam”, Ngullie alleged. He pointed out that during his regime there had been increase of militant groups such as the ALNA, BODO, DHD, KNLP, SULFA, NDFB and many others.
The former Nagaland minister stated that the Congress leadership in Delhi was blind to all these activities and allowing Gogoi to continue in office. Ngullie stated that through Gogoi the Congress will be ‘finished in Assam never to come back’. Since time immemorial, the Ahoms and Nagas have lived in peace and harmony, Ngullie said and urged that the Centre should push for an amicable settlement of the boundary issue between Assam and Nagaland.
It was also stated that the Assam chief minister through his utterances was dividing the people of the two States. Gogoi is told to ‘apologize to the Nagas and Assamese people for his unmindful utterances and false statement of misleading the people’.
Ngullie while claiming that the Naga “freedom fighters” were the only organization which ‘abided with the laws of the land, customary laws and traditions besides international law’, has asked Gogoi that if there is any terrorist activities being undertaken by the Naga undergrounds, the Assam Chief Minister should specifically pinpoint them such as the particular group and the place and occurrences.
“If he does not clear his position, it will go down in the history and it will be bad for him”, Ngullie stated. It was also suggested that in order to deal with the situation in the northeast, leaders should be ‘careful and sincere because the problems in the region itself was sensitive’.