Nagaland Tribes Council urges Narendra Modi to solve Naga issue before 2023 election

Dimapur, Sep. 16 (EMN):  The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to display ‘political will’ and resolve the Naga political issue before the 2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly polls.

In a representation to the PM, the NTC drew attention “on the silence to the inordinate delay” of the Naga political solution even after years of the negotiations with the NSCN (IM) and the WC-NNPG.

It said the Framework Agreement signed between the GoI and the NSCN (IM) in 2015, and the Agreed Position signed between GoI and the WC-NNPG in 2017, are to be the principle basis for the ultimate political solution.

“Thus all the impediments and contours could be overcome under your personal patronage for the fact that the negotiation processes were exhaustively and mutually completed on 31st October 2019, giving a ray of hope to the Naga people to enjoy the true peace in lieu of pseudo peace in our land,” read the representation.

NTC also pointed out that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs had recommended in its report tabled before the two houses of the Parliament on July 19, 2018, that “the Governments should conclude the peace talks at the earliest, based on a broad understanding over the most contentious issues”.

The Committee also recommended the Centre to tread carefully on the issues sensitive to the Nagas and not let vested interests highjack the peace narratives.

“The resolution of the issues is overdue and it seems the very recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee as quoted herewith are shelved,” it stated.

The representation also stated that there were public outcries against the 2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election.

“The reason of the popular public demand for the Naga political solution was obvious. The citizens in Nagaland were tired to bear the burden of the elongated political negotiations of more than two decades, and the people were aware that election would add miseries to the existing plights,” it stated.

However, the then general secretary of BJP, Ram Madav, in-charge of north-eastern states, pacified the public with the slogan ‘Election for solution’.

“Yet five years since 2018 have gone and the people in Nagaland have been left in the lurch. The people in Nagaland are perplexed as to whether the prominent personalities representing National parties have been taking the gullible public for a ride,” it stated.

The NTC also reminded Modi of his assurance during his maiden visit to Nagaland in 2015 to solve the Naga political issue within 18 months, which remains to be unresolved even today.

Citing the successive Nagaland governments, including the incumbent government expressing the willingness to pave way when an inclusive, honourable and acceptable solution to the Naga issue is arrived at, it stated: “As per the afore mentioned successive resolutions and decisions, there is no ambiguity and thus the public opinion is now made clear to GoI that nothing but solution has to be first”.