Kohima Bureau
Kohima, Jan. 10 (EMN): Nagaland's minister for Health and Family Welfare Imkong L Imchen on Wed. questioned the rationale and purpose behind the statement of the Indian government's interlocutor for the Naga talks RN Ravi who had told a local newspaper that “postponement of elections in Nagaland was unlikely,” despite calls to the contrary from multiple Naga organisations.
Ravi had stated that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was an independent body with the mandate to decide on schedule to hold elections. He went to the extent of saying that postponement of elections was “unlikely” unless there was “sufficient substantive change in the facts on the ground.”
Speaking to media persons at his official residence on Jan. 10, Imchen questioned 'why and how Ravi considered ECI to be an independent body that has the sole authority in conducting elections.' “The learned interlocutor RN Ravi’s contention that the ECI is an independent body is not 100 percent correct,” the legislator added.
“ECI is a statutory constitutional body within the Constitution of India. And therefore, they are within the umbrella of the GoI. According to the Peoples’ Representation Act, ECI has to seek the advice of the GoI to conduct any election.”
He maintained that the GoI has the discretion to defer any election if it they feel the situation is not conducive. “We are not setting any particular deadline to the GoI, but our position is to let the GoI settle the political issue first and conduct the state elections. To defer one election on the part of GoI is not a great favour Naga people are asking from them,” he said maintaining that ‘Naga people are only expressing their support in their (GoI) efforts to solve the Naga issue’.
“Just for the settlement of Naga political issue, this coming election has to be deferred in order to create a more conducive atmosphere for solving the political intricacies. Till today, no individual or any organisations be it political or social, has disagreed with the proposal to defer election. There is only one voice, a uniform voice,” he stated.
Contradicting on Ravi’s statement who stated that an agreement resolving the Naga political issue could constitute such a change on deferring election, Imchen categorically pointed out that “the Nagas are 100 percent in agreement with Ravi so that substantive change in the facts on the ground could be created by deferring this coming election.”
On Ravi’s statement that the peace process is at an advanced stage, Imchen said: “Our position in this context is that in any given election, there used to be a number of new emerging issues which we are afraid may resolve into obstruction on the peace process by conducting the election
“All the Nagas are having a serious concern over this Naga political issue for more than seven decades. And their desire to solve this issue is loud and clear,” Imchen said while expressing his personal appreciation to the interlocutor Ravi for carrying out a difficult task thus far, adding “he has achieved so much and the Naga people will remain grateful to him.”
