People in Manipur and Nagaland are speaking up against the collection of “taxes” by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), particularly the Isak-Muivah faction.
Kahuto Chishi Sumi, the headman of Hevishe village in Nagaland’s Dimapur, did the unthinkable on June 27. He wrote an opinion piece in The Morung Express, an English daily, titled ‘Taxation for dummies’.
His write-up followed a statement issued by the NSCN (I-M)’s criticising Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi for trying to “criminalise the Naga political movement by questioning the taxation right of the NSCN”.
Mr. Sumi said the NSCN (I-M) mixes half-truths with lies and cherry-picks “dribs and drabs” of Naga history and the Naga national movement without any basis or contextual reference and their gospel according to the Framework Agreement. This unrevealed agreement was signed with the Centre in August 2015.
“When the I-M says opposition to its taxation amounts to “enslavement” of the Nagas, do they mean Nagas have to pay the I-M for our “freedom”? India, under Section 10(26) of the IT Act, 1961, has freed not only Nagas, but all tribals of the northeast from paying taxes when residing in our lands… who gave them the authority to tax Nagas?” he wrote, outlining the history of taxation since the Sumerian civilisation in 3300 BCE.
He is not the only one to speak out. People have been criticising the outfit besides circulating caricatures involving the NSCN (I-M) on social media.
“NSCN (I-M) stated that they collect tax to “support Naga people’s political movement”. But the fact is that NSCN (I-M) is exploiting the Nagas in the name of tax for long. While the ordinary Naga people slumped to poverty over the years, the NSCN (I-M) leaders built their palaces,” Imphal-based Abiema Lisham wrote on Twitter.
Some social media users pointed out that locals have been suffering because traders and businessmen have been recovering the “taxes” paid to armed groups from them. “Prices of goods are inflated in Nagaland because transporters have to pay taxes to many groups. It gets worse in Manipur because there are additional taxes on goods transported through Nagaland,” a social worker based in Nagaland said, declining to be quoted.
Traders said they are forced to sell duplicates of branded items to make “sustainable profit” after paying up to 22-24% “taxes” to various organisations.
Organisations too have started to become vocal. On June 28, the Manipur State Committee of the All India Trade Union Congress condemned the “ignorant attitude” of the State government and the Indian intelligence agencies towards the “extortion activities” carried out by cadres of NSCN (I-M) from truck drivers on National Highways 37 and 39, Manipur’s lifelines.
On June 18, the Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nagaland said the audacity of the “national workers” (members of the NSCN factions) to demand “tax” during trying times was “totally unacceptable”.
The peace process between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) started in 1997 and is believed to be in an advanced stage.
