Our Correspondent
Kohima, March 22 (EMN): Minister for Higher Education and Tribal Affairs Temjen Imna Along on Tuesday said the Centre will never give a separate constitution and flag, and people should come to an understanding to live in peace and prosperity, witness good governance and also grow together with the nations of the world.
Imna Along stated this in his address during the ongoing Eleventh Session of the 13th NLA.
His statement comes just a day after the address of the Chairman of NSCN (IM) Q Tuccu on the 43rd Republic Day, wherein Tuccu had stated that ‘without a flag and a solution, there will be no solution’.
“If the talks are completed, then tell us what is the problem, how is it going, we all get conclusions,” adding that negotiations have gone for so many years.
He lamented that today, people are afraid to speak the truth and civil societies are divided because of the need to please one or the other group for fear of being challenged.
He pointed out the need to come to an understanding and arrive at a common ground to ‘agree and settle for the sake of the people’.
Meanwhile, he said that the Centre is also under the Constitution and flag of India.
‘How can it go beyond that and give separate Constitution and the flag?,’ he said.
He pointed out that the Centre is ‘not going to agree’ and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the presence of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had also stated that it ‘will not be possible’.
He pondered if the members of the house should continue to be facilitators, and cited the recent incident of the UDA chairman being ‘warned to keep quiet by the NPGs’.
He maintained that the MLAs have taken oath under the Constitution of India to represent the aspirations of the people.
He opined that the house of NLA cannot be kept empty, while the aspirations of the 17 tribes of Nagaland ‘cannot be kept in wilderness but go for election.’
He appealed to the members of the house to ‘speak sense to the Naga political groups and go for solution’.
“It is enough and guns have to be laid down, it is time that our people live in prosperity, it is time that the aspirations of the young men and women of the Nagas have to be fulfilled”.
He also pointed out the significance and importance of the MLAs coming together in forming an all-party government for the Naga political issue.