SOURCE: Hindustan Times
Against the backdrop of Nagaland government and civil society urging negotiating groups in the Naga peace talks to come together towards achieving ‘One Solution for One People’, the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), who have been engaged in talks with Centre since 2017, on Tuesday questioned the soundness of the ‘Framework Agreement’ of 2015 signed between the Centre and the NSCN (IM).
Without naming NSCN (IM) directly, the NNPGs blamed the organisation for making toxic political expletives in statements and interviews, and for unprecedented labelling of apex Naga tribal bodies and civil societies as ‘anti-Naga’ and ‘traitors’ without compunction.
This allegation comes close on the heels of an interview given by the NSCN (IM) chief Th. Muivah to a media house where he claimed that Nagas did not accept the union of India and there would be no settlement without a separate Naga flag and Constitution.
“After twenty-three years of political talks, when a negotiator declares that Nagas do not accept the union of India or the Indian constitution, it could only mean political dialogue was a circus exercise for personal gains. The much-touted FA agreement of 2015, by the very utterance, becomes invalid,” asserted N Kitovi Zhimomi, convener, NNPGs.
He said whether the statement was an emotional outburst or otherwise, the organisation owed an explanation to the Naga people.
The working committee (WC) of NNPG in a statement stated that obsolete minds may consider 23 years of negotiations with the government of India as some sort of achievement and while they glorified themselves, generational catastrophe over lost decades have cost Naga society and polity dearly.
The committee is of the view that there is massive expectation of the Naga people on the ‘Agreed position’ signed between the NNPGs and the government of India in 2017 as it offers the Naga people opportunity to chart their destiny as a people in consonance with their distinct history and identity while maintaining enduring, inclusive peaceful co-existence with the government of India.
“As per the desire of the Naga people, WC-NNPGs will prepare itself to find an acceptable and honourable political solution with firm commitment that all unresolved matters shall be pursued through democratic and political process subsequent to the agreement with GoI. This aspiration of the Naga people must be given due space, time and respect by all entities who wish to stay away from an impending solution,” the statement of WC-NNPGs further said.
The statement comes amidst speculations that the Centre and Naga political groups were likely to ink the final agreement to resolve decades’ old Naga political issue anytime soon.
Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, whose government had recently convened an all stakeholders meet, has conveyed that the government of India has made its stand clear that there will be only one solution for the Indo-Naga political issue.
