New Delhi: Is everything well within the NSCN-IM? A series of defections of senior functionaries to rival Naga Underground factions led by Khango Konyak and Niki Sumi in the recent past would suggest it is not.
Disillusioned with the leadership, 11 civil functionaries of the outfit from its unit operating in Nuiland area of Dimapur defected to join the Khango faction in the second week of June.
Earlier this year, several cadres of the NSCN-IM had shifted allegiance to the Niki Sumi-led faction. Sources within the Khango and the Niki Sumi faction have revealed under the condition of anonymity that several other disgruntled senior functionaries of the NSCN-IM hailing from tribes of Nagaland were in touch with them and would cross the fence at an appropriate time.
“There are several factors which have played a role in such large scale defections to the rival factions. Despite having Q Tuccu as its Chairman, the harsh reality within the outfit is that he remains a titular head while the concentration of power remains in the hands of the Thuingaleng Muivah, the all-powerful General Secretary of the outfit. Tangkhul hegemony within the NSCN-IM remains another reason for disgruntlement,” a source aware of these developments told Zee News.
The tendency to use the power of the gun to silence critics has resulted in the NSCN-IM facing challenges even within its Tangkhul fraternity.
In a dispute between Tangkhul Baptist Churches Association (TBCA) and Tangkhul Naga Baptist Convention (TNBC), Muivah and his henchmen attempted to push their decision down on the church bodies in Ukhrul District (Manipur), but faced resistance and were forced to place the issue in the backburner.
Likewise, Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex body of the Tangkhuls, which is linked to NSCN-IM, faced a challenge in its pocket-borough of Ukhrul, when Hunphun Village Authorities (HVA) (Ukhrul) vandalized the TNL office on April 16. Sources revealed that this had happened after the NSCN-IM had ruled in favour of the TNL in its dispute with the HVA. Such an event challenging the authority of NSCN-IM was unheard of earlier.
“The greed of the NSCN-IM leadership for money has been insatiable and blinded by the same. They are not even sparing funds meant for the welfare of its cadres and the people it claims to represent. The outfit has faced a lot of backlash in Ukhrul after it started demanding a 5 per cent cut from the rice being supplied under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and a whopping 10 per cent cut from the rice allotted under welfare schemes of the government, meant to help the needy during COVID pandemic. Despite large sums of money raised through rampant taxation, the cadres on the ground are finding it difficult to meet even their basic requirements with the meagre stipends being paid on and off. They find it difficult to accept the premise of a financial crisis being faced by their outfit, as they see senior leaders, especially those from the Tangkhul tribe, constructing mansions in Dimapur and moving around in high-end vehicles,” said another source.
A self-styled Sergeant Major of the NSCN-IM pointed to several such buildings and plots owned by senior Tangkhul leaders including HS Ramson and Apam Muivah, the two leaders currently based in Myanmar.
This frustration is trickling down the rank and file of the outfit and many in Nagaland feel that the NSCN-IM leadership is comfortable with the stalemate in the talks, happy to enjoy the benefits accruing to them as the status quo persists.
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Disappointment with the dilution of the lofty ideals of working for the Nagas for selfishly acquiring personal wealth has pushed out several from the outfit to explore other avenues for finding a solution.
