100% Nagas want solution; negotiators not trustworthy: Imkong L Imchen

Nagaland’s senior politician Imkong L Imchen, Advisor for Information & Public Relations, and Soil & Water Conservation, stated that 100% of Nagas today want a political settlement to the long-standing Naga political issue once and for all.

Addressing the 26th Nagaland Inter-District & State Table Tennis Championship 2023, which began today at the Multi-purpose Sports Complex in Mokokchung, Imchen mentioned that various organizations have expressed their opinions on various platforms. However, he said, “Our negotiators seem intent on prolonging the process. They appear to prioritize sustaining it at the expense of our progress, advancements, and developments.”

Imchen expressed his personal belief that the negotiators may not be interested in bringing the issue to a conclusion. He added that the Naga people may lack the capacity to persuade “mainland India” to reach a satisfactory settlement or may lack the courage to make a decisive move. “Despite the negotiators repeatedly stating that talks are on the right track, constructive, productive, and using so many beautiful words, trusting their word has become quite challenging,” he said. In his view, they are not trustworthy negotiators.

He emphasized that negotiation involves speaking with a degree of power and authority, and once negotiations commence, it is essential to talk sensibly. “If discussions become unreasonable and senseless, others may lose interest, which comes at a high cost to the Nagas,” he opined.

On Naga integration, he emphasized that there are Nagas living across international and state borders, and that integration cannot occur without changing the Indian constitution or without the consent of the states where Naga people reside.

On Framework Agreement

Imchen further noted that the NSCN-IM agreed to a Framework Agreement with the Government of India but has subsequently objected to their own agreement. He said, “We do not understand why they are objecting to their own agreement. We only understand that they are not interested in bringing about a settlement.”

Speaking with the media on the sidelines of the championships inaugural, Imchen clarified that the Framework Agreement was signed in 2015, and it has been eight long years and so many rounds of negotiations have taken place. All that is known, he said, is their frequent press releases filled with complaints. “Instead of finding a solution, they started complaining which sums up that they are not interested in bringing a solution,” he said.

Imchen highlighted that the 7 NNPGs are not complaining about the agreed position they reached with the Government of India. In contrast, he observed that both the NSCN-IM and the Government of India are complaining about the Framework Agreement. “Instead of seeking a solution, they are focusing on complaints, indicating their lack of interest in a resolution,” he remarked.

On ENPO issue

Regarding the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) issue, Imchen mentioned that while the people of Nagaland want to stay united, if the ENPO wishes to separate, only the Government of India can prevent this. He added that the initial draft agreement was imbalanced, so they are currently working on other drafts.
Imchen insisted that the name “Nagaland” should remain unchanged as there cannot be two entities with the same name.

On Delimitation

On the topic of delimitation, he explained that this is a constitutional process, and Nagaland is due for such an exercise. However, due to ongoing political negotiations, the number of seats in the state assembly may increase or decrease, making the delimitation process uncertain until a political solution is reached.

Mokokchung Times