The demand for a separate Naga flag and constitution remains the most contentious issue in the ongoing peace talks between the NSCN-IM and the Government of India. Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang has acknowledged that this debate lies at the heart of the deadlock, with both sides unwilling to compromise on their core positions.
Additionally, according to Zeliang, the NSCN-IM is disillusioned with the current interlocutor, AK Mishra, citing his refusal to discuss the “competencies” submitted by former interlocutor RN Ravi on May 8, 2018. These competencies had received a formal response from the NSCN-IM on January 2, 2020, yet Mishra has reportedly claimed that no records of such submissions exist in government files.
“The NSCN-IM is shocked that the paper submitted by the former interlocutor is not available in the same office,” Zeliang told the news outlet NELive. He emphasized the importance of revisiting these documents, stating, “To come to a middle point, all these papers should be recalled and discussed so that an amicable resolution can be arrived at.”
At the heart of the impasse is the NSCN-IM’s demand for a separate Naga flag and constitution, a position firmly rejected by the Government of India. Home Minister Amit Shah, during a recent meeting with Nagaland’s top leadership, reiterated the government’s stance: “There can be only one flag, one constitution, and one prime minister in the country.”
The NSCN-IM, however, considers these demands non-negotiable. Rh Raising, Member, Collective Leadership, argued in a statement issued today, “Flag and constitution are the composite materials of sovereignty.
Sovereignty without flag and constitution is a form without content.”
Th Muivah, the NSCN-IM’s chief negotiator, has made it clear that a solution without these key elements would not be acceptable to the Naga people, warning against a repetition of past mistakes.
The Nagaland state government, led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy CM Zeliang, and Deputy CM Y Patton, has taken an active role in the peace talks as facilitators. The leaders recently met with Shah to push for the appointment of a new interlocutor, signaling dissatisfaction with Mishra’s handling of the negotiations.