Dimapur, Jan. 4 (EMN): The Nagaland Gaon Bura (village chief) Federation (NGBF) has said that it is time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil his assurance on the Naga political issue.
Mentioning that it is keenly awaiting the proposed visit of Home Minister Amit Shah and Modi to Nagaland on January 6 and 10 respectively, a few weeks ahead of the state assembly election, the federation urged them to take a call on the Naga issue.
It opined that elections are a necessity in a democracy but “it is not advisable at this hour in Nagaland”.
“Let elections be postponed in favour of President's Rule to ensure honourable and acceptable solution is achieved. NGBF is duty bound to express solidarity to our people should they go ahead and refrain from participating in the democratic process, if the GoI political leadership focus solely on election and not on Indo-Naga political solution. Even NGBF shall be compelled to take decision whether to participate or boycott the forthcoming election,” read the statement from NGBF media cell.
It also recounted the meeting with the prime minister in 2017 at his office in New Delhi where it “urged him to pursue an inclusive path and expedite the solution to the Indo-Naga political problem”.
While maintaining that the Government of India had officially concluded negotiations with all entities (NSCN-IM and WC-NNPG) on October 31, 2019, the NGBF said it understands “the intricacies of the Indian system”; among the two negotiating Naga entities; as well as the position of the GOI on symbolic matters.
It added that the people of Nagaland want the prime minister “announce the settlement basing on what was negotiated and agreed upon, once and for all”.
“The slogan ‘ELECTION FOR SOLUTION’ should never be used twice. Any delay will hurt the sentiment of the people of Nagaland. Threats and intimidations by anti-solution elements cannot subdue the overwhelming demand for honourable solution. Naga people in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam too have openly expressed their desire for an acceptable political settlement,” it stated.
The NGBF went on to say that it “understands the genuine grievances of the Eastern Naga People's Organisation (ENPO)”.
“The delay by GOI in announcing the Naga settlement is co-related to sensitive political and administrative discrepancies in the region over the years. Resolving the Naga political issue and post solution realignments of flawed political and administrative status will fulfil the aspiration of eastern Nagaland tribes,” it said.
The federation also opined that ‘openly expressing decision to boycott and abstain from democratic exercise in any part of India or in Nagaland either by ENPO or Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) will seriously dent the image of the world’s largest democracy and its political leadership’.
“However, since the matter (Naga political issue) is about a political struggle which is more than eight decades, the people have the legitimate political and historical right to express themselves, in the knowledge that negotiations have already concluded,” it stated.