State BJP President Temjen Imna Along, sitting in a live studio in Guwahati on January 26 remarked, “Mood for election is surely there” but this was refuted by his opposition, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee president, K. Therie who retorted, “Mood of the people of Nagaland is to just defeat the traitors. The BJP betrayed us.”
Similar comments were echoed by Joint Secretary of Naga Hoho, Elu Ndang who said, “Unlike the past elections, the mood of the people is different. People generally feel cheated. People feel that the Government of India, as committed in 2018, has not come.”
Ndang went on to say that there was disappointment everywhere.
“The state government even formed an opposition-less government in order to solve the Naga political issue. However, the Government of India has failed the people of Nagaland.”
Responding to whether he feels that the delay in Naga political issue is solely Government of India’s fault, Ndang said, “The government of Nagaland and the 60 members have pressed the Government of India enough to arrive at the settlement but the Government of India continues to play its old game by delaying it- shifting responsibility to the people. The Nagas have been dissected by the GoI.”
Meanwhile, Nagaland Public Action Committee (NPAC) convener, Theja Therieh described how when BJP returned to power with thumping majority in 2018 and invited the NNPGs for inclusive discussion, he said, “For once people thought Government of India is serious enough to deliver what they have promised.”
“We gave our trust and confidence, but today we see that trust and confidence have been misused and have betrayed the people,” he added.
“Both NSCN-IM and NNPGs have come together, they have publicly proclaimed that they are committed to the solution,” he added of the significance of NSC-IM and NNPGs getting together for the first time.
“Civil society organizations and political parties have stated unequivocally that they prefer a solution to an election. However, it appears that the BJP government desires political power and not stability,” he added.
While Azo Nienu expressed his perspective saying that the Government of India is “more interested in breaking apart the Nagas rather than in offering the solution.”
“When Naga Political issue was the hottest topic, they brought about ENPO issue just to dissect the attention of the public,” he claimed, adding, “There was never a moment when all 7 NNPGs and NSCN-IM got together but they intentionally diverted the matter.”
Therie of the NPCC went on to blame the Nagaland Legislative Assembly of lacking the political will to implement the ‘agreed political solution’.
BJP’s Imna Along defended that it was only after PM Modi came to power that the issue that had been kept in the ‘cold storage’ by the UPA government led by Congress from 2003 to 2014 was brought to light through the signing of the Framework Agreement in 2015, and that it is only the BJP under Modi that is committed to providing a solution.