The Nagas
SIR,—Mr Nigel Lawson has taken upon himself the responsibility (Spectator's Notebook,' July 15) of writing about the Nagas lest that 'elusive entity "world opinon" ' forgets their plight. He is afraid that if the cease-fire does not continue after October 'there is a real danger that . . . Indian extremists might per- suade a reluctant Mrs Gandhi to agree to "the final solution"—a Naga massacre.'
I find it difficult to believe that such a, knowledge- able and experienced a journalist as Mr Lawson could swallow, unwittingly perhaps, the atrocity stories purveyed by the Rev Michael Scott since he was expelled from India for his irresponsible and mis7 chievous behaviour. To say the least no.'extremisr has ever suggested the 'final solution' for the Naga prob- lem; India is not Hitler's Germany nor is Mrs Gandhi a person to listen to any such suggestion. India is a secular state which means that she has accepted con- stitutional obligation to treat all her citizens as equal, irrespective of their race or religion. Her population is patently heterogeneous and embraces many diverse races—Abyssinians, Arabs, Aryans, Parsees, Dravid- ians, Jews and also Mongoloids like the Nagas and the Siklcimese. But they are all Indians. Do not the British Isles contain distinctly different racial strains, like the English, Scots and Welsh? Will Mr Lawson allow any one of them to have the right of self- determination if a militant minority among them resorts to violence to enforce its demand for complete independence, as the rebel Nagas are doing with the arms, as Mr Lawson rightly points out, supplied from near-by East Pakistan?
Mr Lawson will render great service to the Nagas and to the cause of peace if he were to tell 'the world opinion' that Mrs Gandhi and her government are only too anxious to settle the Naga problem by negotiation. She met the rebel Naga leaders before she went to Washington and Moscow and she is meet- ing them again next month. Also he should tell the world that the Naga problem is India's internal problem and there is uo room for a third party media- tor. Finally let me say that the problem would not have assumed the proportion it has during the last ten years or so if busybodies, perhaps well-meaning, had not encouraged intransigence and deliberately played down the rebel atrocities on loyal Nagas. By the way, the Nagaland population is just about 400,000 and not a million as Mr Lawson says. D. V. TAHMANRAR London Editor, Deccan Herald, Bangalore. 55 Stanhope Avenue, London, N3
[Nigel Lawson writes: Mr Tahmankar rightly refers to the atrocities committed by the rebel Nagas, but appears to deny, contrary to all the evidence (and in spite of India's refusal to allow foreign journalists into Nagaland, there is no lack of evidence) the atro- cities committed by the Indian army. I am well aware that Mrs Gandhi wants to settle the Naga problem by negotiation, and all credit to her; the fact remains that the negotiations aren't getting anywhere and a number of Indian politicians are urging a resumption of the war and a solution by force. This advice, if heeded, could well lead to little short of a Naga massacre. I apologise for my mistake about the population of Nagaland.]
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