A war of words has been going on between NSCN-IM and RN Ravi after he was made the Governor of Nagaland and interlocutor between the government of India and NSCN.
The NSCN-IM on Wednesday said that Nagaland Governor is desperately trying to criminalize the Naga political movement by questioning the taxation right of the NSCN.
On Tuesday, Ravi said the Government of India does not recognize the collection of tax by any other entity other than by it or a state government.
NSCN-IM stated that “The NSCN collected taxes to support the Naga people’s political movement which started in 1929 even before India got independence from the British. Opposing the Naga tax is nothing short of obstructing the Naga political movement and to let the Naga people be enslaved by India.”
“The Government of India opposing taxations by the NSCN instantly violates the FA wherein the two entities have agreed to coexist peacefully as two different entities sharing sovereign power,” the NSCN-IM stated on Wednesday.
Without taking a name, Mr Ravi said a Naga armed organization engaged in the peace process has issued a statement recently, which was carried in the media, that they have a right to collect “tax” from the people and further added that their right has also been recognized by the representative of the Government of India having a dialogue with them.
“Such an erroneous statement is likely to cause confusion among the people. Taxation is a sovereign function which can be exercised either by the Government of India or the state government,” Mr Ravi stated in a release.