KOHIMA — Newly appointed Indian National Congress (INC) Secretary in-charge of Nagaland, Christopher Tilak, called for greater transparency in the Naga peace process, urging that copies of the agreements signed with Naga political groups be made public.
It is essential that copies of these agreements are put in the public domain for enlightened and empowered discussion rather than only looking for an empowered interlocutor, he said, during his first visit to the state since assuming his new role.
He made the remarks at a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Kohima on Tuesday.
Tilak was referring to the 2015 Framework Agreement signed between the Indian government and the NSCN (IM) and the 2017 Agreed Position signed with the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (WC-NNPG).
The AICC leader suggested that making these documents public would foster more informed discussions and a deeper understanding of the issues at stake. He expressed concern that recent meetings of the state government’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC), tasked with deliberating on the peace process, have taken place without members having access to the agreements.
Tilak, who is also in-charge of Tripura, Manipur, and Sikkim, shared that he spent the past few days meeting with executives of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) and frontal oprganisations. He said the INC will develop strategies for the future, keeping in mind the upcoming 2028 elections. District-wise tours and meetings with civil society organisations are planned for the coming months, starting with eastern Nagaland areas, he said.
He went on to state that the 2024 Lok Sabha election result is a big boost for Congress in Nagaland, as winning an MP seat in spite of not having a single MLA in the state assembly, is a clear indication that people really want positive change.
Lok Sabha MP and NPCC president, S Supongmeren Jamir, also addressed the press conference, stating that the two existing agreements “have to be brought to Parliament.” Furthermore, involving the public is a crucial step towards reaching out to stakeholders and reaching a final settlement.
On the NDA government plans to implement ‘One nation, one election’ within the next five years, Jamir commented that it is “totally against democracy.”
The MP also addressed the Supreme Court’s decision to pause prosecution of army personnel in involved in the 2021 Oting killings, expressing hope that justice will be delivered to the people, as the army has its own judicial power and the matter is still ongoing
Meanwhile, Jamir also raised concerns about the low enrollment of students from Nagaland at Sainik School Punglwa. Despite 120 seats allocated to the state -- for entry in Class 6 and Class 9 -- the current academic session has only 80 students, leaving 40 seats vacant.
He explained that this low turnout impacts the school’s administration and could have future consequences. Since those seats are allotted to Nagaland, they cannot be given to other states, he said, warning that if this trend continues, the Government of India might want to change the policies.
Stating that another recruitment round for 120 seats will open in January, he appealed to parents and aspiring students to seize this opportunity.