New Delhi: In a significant move, Ikato Chisi Swu, son of Isak Chisi Swu, one of the three founders of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), has left for Myanmar to join two of its dissident Naga leaders residing there after blaming the central government for “hypocrisy and insincerity” in closing the peace talks.

As per Nagaland-based news reports, Ikato has already left for Myanmar, which borders the Indian state, to join forces with dissident leaders of the NSCN (I-M), Lt Gen (retired) Hs Ramsan and Lt Gen Absalom Raman along with a section of cadres to “continue the struggle”.

This past April 18, his parting letter was published in Nagaland Post which termed Ramsan and Raman as “true nationalists and still standing tall and firm for the cause of the Naga nation.”

Isak Chisi Swu, S.S. Khaplang and Th. Muivah had formed the outfit in 1980 in protest against the signing of the Shillong Accord by the Naga leaders with the Centre in 1975. In 1988, the outfit had split with Khaplang, a Myanmar-based Naga, forming NSCN -K.  In the letter, Ikato said the split within the NSCN was “through the instigation of Indian intelligence agencies.”

The letter which delineated the long trajectory of NSCN (I-M) in peace talks with various central governments under different regimes, also referred to the Framework Agreement signed between the Narendra Modi government and the outfit in August 2015 with his father’s signature on it in his sick bed, to state, “No doubt, if this agreement was implemented in letter and spirit, it would have been a win-win solution for both the Nagas and the Indians.”

Blames the Government of India for its 'hypocrisy and insecurity'

Blaming the Government of India (GoI) for its “insincerity” on the matter, he said, “I, along with some of my like-minded comrades, have decided to join hands with Lt. Gen. Retd. Hs. Ramsan, VC and Lt. Gen. Absalom Raman, MM, MC who are true nationalists and still standing tall and firm for the cause of the Naga nation. They are the remnants that God has preserved to save the nation.”

Significantly, his letter mentioned that on July 3, 2023, during the peace talks at Barapani in Meghalaya, he was asked by Centre’s interlocutor A K Mishra to speak his mind.

“I told him that I am a second-generation revolutionary, and all the leaders present here today are my father’s contemporaries. So, when these leaders are coming close to you, it would be good if you could resolve the issue at the earliest.”

“I also mentioned that I am a son of the revolution, and my whole life has been affected by it. There are thousands of youths like me whose lives and futures have been shaped by this struggle. Therefore, if you do not solve the issue promptly, I will raise a new force, devise new strategies, and continue the fight until our goal is achieved.”

While he had then urged Mishra to “resolve the issue at the earliest”, he said he is, however, now “compelled” to join the two leaders in Myanmar “because of the hypocrisy and insincerity of the Gol.”

“Therefore, I call upon all right-thinking Nagas, especially the youth and younger generation, to join us in continuing the fight.”

The Naga peace talks have reached a deadlock with the NSCN (I-M) steadfast on its demand for a separate Constitution and a flag.

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