EMN
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 27
Chief Minister, TR Zeliang on Thursday asserted that both the signatories to the “framework agreement” must keep their end of the bargain while recalling incidents in which New Delhi has failed to “fulfill” the provisions of previous “agreements.”
According to a CMO press release, Zeliang shared this message at the NLF consultative meeting with RN Ravi, government of India’s interlocutor to the Indo-Naga talk, today at the Assembly conference hall in Kohima.
“It may be recalled here that many of the provisions of the 16-Point Agreement of 1960 made between the government of India and the Naga Peoples Convention are yet to be fulfilled. As per the 16- Point Agreement, Article 371-A of the Constitution was inserted. However, the provisions regarding acts of Parliament not to apply in the case of “land and its resources” has not been honored in letter and spirit by the government of India.
“The government of India is trying to create problems in the implementation of the Nagaland Petroleum Rules & Regulations duly passed by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. Similarly, the provisions regarding restoration of transferred Naga reserve forests to Nagaland has not been followed up by the central government. I strongly feel that when agreements are made, it should be honored and respected by both sides. This should also be the case for the framework agreement of 3rd August, 2015, and the detailed agreement that may be arrived at a later stage,” it read.
Zeliang also shared that when Ravi was appointed as the interlocutor to the Naga political dialogue, the initial response from certain quarters came in the form of “some reservations.” However, let me say here that Ravi has proved himself to be better than the past interlocutors, he said.
“After having quick consultations with the Naga civil society organizations, and having a feeling of the pulse of the Naga people, he lost no time in producing the first result in the form of the framework agreement, which was signed on the 3rd August, 2015 by the parties to the dialogue. Let us all appreciate his style and approach to the Naga political issue. However, let us all remind ourselves that we have yet miles to go before we can relax.”
He further challenged that we should give our “whole-hearted confidence and support” to the Interlocutor so that he may be able to take forward the framework agreement to its final and logical conclusion.
“Another great asset of RN Ravi is his proximity to the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, whose confidence he is enjoying. He should now approach the other Naga nationalist groups, and bring them on board the Naga political dialogue. We are all of the view that the Naga political dialogue should be made inclusive now, if it is really to result in permanent peace to our land. However, without our collective efforts, and our strong back-up, he will not be able to produce the expected outcomes.”
He hoped that the consultative meeting will provide the needed thrust and impetus to take forward the Naga political dialogue from the stage of “framework agreement” to the next stage of a detailed, inclusive and conclusive agreement.
The Nagaland Legislators’ Forum on Naga political issue Thursday resolved that all the elected representatives would “reach out to their respective constituencies and initiate public discussion” in order to help achieve “an honorable and acceptable solution” to the Indo-Naga political talks.
This was adopted in a consultative meeting of the NLF members with RN Ravi, government of India’s interlocutor to the Indo-Naga talk, today at the Assembly conference hall in Kohima. The NLF also resolved to welcome the “peace accord” and meet “central leaders of various political parties to bring about a permanent solution to the Naga political issue.”
According to a press statement from the chief minister’s office, Ravi had “explained the framework agreement in detail” to the NLF members during the meeting.
The interlocutor for Naga peace talks, RN Ravi who is currently in the state capital on a three-day visit, has held consultative meetings on Thursday with Naga organizations including the Church bodies, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO), the Forum for Naga Reconciliation and the Nagaland GBs Federation. The meetings were reportedly centred on the recently signed “framework agreement” between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India (GOI) August 3 last towards settlement of the long standing Naga political issue.
“We shared our position on the issue that as a church body, we have endeavoured for reconciliation, peace and unity in the past and that we will continue to do so,” says the NBCC general secretary, Dr. Zelhou Keyho.
He said the NBCC team while appreciating his (Ravi’s) concern for the Nagas, they made it clear that they were not at the meeting to endorse anything. “Our position is based on the consensus of the Nagas and we will continue to speak the truth,” he said.
Keyho said that while the NBCC recognizes the complications on the issue, it hoped that whatever has transpired recently will not lead to more bloodshed. The meeting was very brief, it was learnt.
In another meeting with the ENPO officials on the same day, Ravi is said to have acknowledged that the aspiration of the Eastern Nagas and the demand of the ENPO for separate statehood is genuine, but he said everything has to go through a democratic process. This was informed by the ENPO vice president, Kakong Yim, who led the organization’s team during a consultative meeting held with Ravi on Thursday in Kohima.
He said the GOI official shared the outlines of the recently signed “Peace Accord” between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India. The ENPO reportedly put forward that while the efforts are appreciated, it would refrain from further comment since the exact content or the structure of the content is not made known yet. “However, the ENPO made it clear that any solution should be inclusive of all the Naga political groups…. That they should be brought into the mainstream,” Yim said.
The stand of the FNR, NMA and the GBs federation put across to the GOI interlocutor could not be ascertained as the members could not be contacted.
