Northeast integral part of India: Leaders’ Independence Day message to separatist groups

GUWAHATI: The political leadership in the NDA-ruled northeast have told separatist forces loud and clear on this I-Day that the land will continue to be an integral part of India.
The situation in the entire region, which has been in the grip of bloody separatist movements since the country’s Independence 75 years ago, has transformed and Assam and Nagaland currently are the only two states where the demand for secession is continuing, both on the discussion table by NSCN (IM) and off it by Ulfa(I).
Addressing the 76th Independence Day celebrations here on Monday here, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Those who are still dreaming of sovereignty should return to the discussion table. Sovereignty is non-negotiable and Assam will never leave India.”
He also tweeted, “The exuberant celebrations of the past few days have shown secessionist groups that people consider Assam to be an integral and inalienable part of Bharat since time immemorial. I urge the secessionist groups to come for discussions and aid in Assam’s development journey.”
Sarma echoed the words of Nagaland governor Jagdish Mukhi, who in his address to the people of the state on the eve of the I-day celebrations, said, “My dear Naga brothers and sisters, Nagaland has been and shall ever remain an integral part of India. Preserving our unique cultural identity, we must break the colonial miasma and march in step with the rest of the country in our journey of shared prosperity.” Mukhi addressed the people on the day when NSCN (IM) and many other Naga groups celebrated the “Naga Independence Day’ on August 14”, a practice that has been since August 14, 1947, when the Angami Zapu Phizo-led Naga National Council — the parent body of the NSCN (IM) — declared independence from the British and as a separate nation from India.
After Mukhi’s declaration, NSCN (IM) general secretary Th Muivah shot back saying that the Nagas are neither Indians nor Burmese. “There should be no doubt about it that the Nagas have been a sovereign people from time immemorial, which makes our history unique,” he stated.
The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) on Monday observed 25 years of signing of the bilateral ceasefire agreement with the Centre that started the peace process but is yet to conclude with a solution.
NSCN’s (IM) bilateral ceasefire agreement with the Centre that started the peace process completed 25 years but the process is yet to conclude with a solution, the stalemate being over its two demands of separate flag and separate constitution, the two key characters of asovereign state. Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, in his I-Day address, urged people to remain patient for a final solution and reiterated that all legislators representing people had come together and stated in clear terms that they were willing to pave way once the solution was achieved.
In Manipur, CM N Biren Singh described the 76th Independence Day celebrations in the state as “a first of its kind” which “showcased the true spirit of a United Manipur and a United India... This celebration has set a precedent in celebrating our unity and diversity.” Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya have long been out of the shadow of secession, while Arunachal Pradesh has been always outside the grip of the issue.