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While media access to the second-round of talks between RN Ravi and the working committee of six NNPGs held today at Chumoukedima was restricted, photographers were allowed to take pictures before the formal talks. Seen here in the picture are Ravi and members of the working committee. (EM Images)[/caption]
Staff Reporter
Dimapur, Oct. 23 (EMN): The government of India’s interlocutor for the Naga peace talks RN Ravi on Monday urged Naga community organisations “representing the grassroots people” to convince the NSCN (K) to join the Indo-Naga talks–just as they succeeded in uniting, as well as bringing to the negotiation table six Naga political groups.
This task of bringing the NSCN (K) to the negotiation table, besides ensuring that the newly-stitched unity among the six NNPGs continues, is the “greater role” of the Naga organisations, according to Ravi. He was addressing representatives of at least 20 Naga community organisations during an event which, according to the organisers, was a “facilitation of political negotiation between GoI and NNPGs working committee” at the Chumoukedima police complex.
“You made possible what seemed impossible for long. You brought six groups together. The credit goes to you. And no organisation in today’s world can ignore the voice of the people. You made it happen and I must profusely thank you.
I have a request to all of you. You have made it happen, the beginning has been made. You must ensure that the unity continues and those who are left out, they also become part of it,” said Ravi.
Even when the NSCN (K), in 2015, unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire agreement, Ravi said that his “sincere wish” was to bring the group to the negotiation table. “... (Even now) as an interlocutor I maintain my position that I would love to include them also.”
He suggested also that the Naga community organisations have a role to play in convincing the Naga political groups to be realistic. “We must strike a balance between our memories, which are quite bitter, and our dreams which we like to be brighter.”
According to Ravi, “...We can’t leave anyone out of the (peace) process.” The Naga solution, he said, must have the widest possible acceptance of the Naga people. While admitting that cent-percent satisfaction of all in concern was not possible, he asserted that ‘We must strive to the best of our ability to make it happen.’
“Government of India, we all know, has its own limitations. It has certain red lines which is (sic) beyond it. Whosoever be the prime minister, whosoever be the leader, he or she is bound by the system. Those limitations are something which is beyond the government. So within this limitation we should be able to get the maximum possible for the Naga people. It must be honourable not only in appearance but in substance.”
Ravi recalled how in 2014, right after being appointed as the government of India’s interlocutor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made plain his government’s seriousness toward solving the Naga issue.
“He told me: look Ravi, this is such a long standing unresolved problem. It’s an embarrassment for a country like India that it has not resolved this issue for such a long time. Do your best and negotiate in a way that is a win for the Nagas in the best possible manner.”
This assertion, he said, means that it is “not a zero-sum game” in which a win for Nagas will represent loss to New Delhi. “If the Nagas win, the government of India wins as well. In that spirit we started the process.”
He spoke about how he had asked Modi to allow him to operate with freedom—without the bureaucratic pin-balling for which India is notorious. “I requested him to give me the freedom that I would like to have–because you know the government of India–it is a humongous body where decisions are not taken so easily.
So I asked for freedom to carry forward the process the way I feel in my judgement is the right manner, of course in consultation with the prime minister. Of course he said: yes, you go ahead. Modi is with you.”
In a rare insight into what has still been a tightly-kept process of negotiation, Ravi revealed that it was during his visit to Khonoma village to attend a function organised by the Naga Students’ Federation that he could absorb different ‘perspectives’ which ultimately made him to declare that the Naga peace process was an inclusive one.
“Because I realised that a solution which does not resonate with the people at large will not be enduring. Naga political issue belongs to the Naga people. And so Naga people must be onboard. And we also understood that Naga issue cannot be fragmented and we cannot have too many agreements with too many factions.
“So we said there will be one peace process and one agreement. And that agreement will be comprehensive and that will be equal. Some people liked it, some people did not like it but our position was very clear”.
This prompted his series of interactions with various Naga tribal bodies, Ravi said, “Because the government of India cannot be indifferent to the stakeholders.
“It helped me a lot in understanding what Naga people want, what are their expectations, how deep is their sentiment of Naga rights, how hurt they are over what happened in the past and how hopeful they are of a likely solution”.
Ravi asserted that the ‘fundamental mantra’ that drives his dealing with Naga people was the principle of equality and mutual respect. Even now, he said, Modi keeps asking him about the status of the talks. “I can see the urgency. We also don’t have the luxury of dragging it on for years and years. So we must not waste time.”
Representatives of 20 different organisations also spoke their views to Ravi. At the airport, the organisations conducted a ‘public reception’ for Ravi.
Later in the evening, Ravi held a close-door meeting, the second of its kind, with the working committee of six NNPGS.