“Not the season to claim political mileage out of the prevailing situation”

 

The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has called upon the NSCN(IM) to be transparent and bring out its competencies to the public domain, saying that the political negotiation between the GoI and the Naga negotiators has reached 25 years and that the people cannot wait any longer. The NTC also observed that the GoI is “absolutely clear on its parameters of negotiations with the understanding that has reached on 31st October, 2019 and therefore it is incumbent on the NSCN(IM) to take a call without wasting more time.”

 

In a press statement issued after its general session held on May 31 in Kohima, NTC also observed that the Core Committee on Naga Political Issue (CCoNPI), formed under UDA tends to misuse its role while projecting itself to be the indispensable broker between the GoI and the Naga negotiators. “The CCoNPI is at best a facilitator as any other facilitators and therefore its members giving statements on any agenda of any of the negotiators is uncalled for,” NTC said.

 

Saying that everyone’s effort must be focussed on solution and not otherwise, NTC said that this is not the season for any facilitator, including CCoNPI, to claim political mileage on the prevailing situation by misguiding the gullible public.

 

Quoting local media reports that “the CCoNPI is also likely to apprise Assam Chief Minister and NEDA convenor HB Sarma on the outcome of Saturday’s meeting so as to take forward to the Centre,” NTC said this implies that the outcome of the meeting between NSCN(IM) and the CCoNPI on May 28 at Chumukedima is to be submitted to the Assam CM who then will convey it to the GoI.

 

Rejecting such a move, NTC said Nagas have the official Naga negotiators, namely, NSCN(IM) and WC, 7 NNPGs and a legitimate State Govt having equal status as Assam has and added that it rejects the modus operandi of the CCoNPI “as though the Naga negotiators do not have access to GoI through the official emissary and as though the State of Nagaland is secondary to any other State.” The NTC then warned the CCoNPI not to over indulge or “to expose the competencies on the negotiating table sacred to the Nagas.”

 

The NTC also said that it totally disagrees with one of the resolutions adopted by the United Naga Council (UNC) at its recent presidential council meeting, which said “Nagas must take our own time” for a solution, asking if 25 years of negotiation is not a long time.

 

“What logic does the UNC have to get a better dividend out of a longer period of negotiation?” it asked, adding if UNC can ensure an indefinite ceasefire between the GoI and the Naga negotiators in order to continue the talks. Terming the resolution as “senseless,” it said people of Nagaland are tired of multiple taxations.

 

“Be it the facilitators or the negotiators, whoever is using delaying tactics to thwart the political solution are indeed the exploiters of the bona fide citizens of Nagaland,” it added.

 

NTC also said that Nagas are a democratic people and that Naga democracy is one of the purest forms of all the democracies in the world, where “dissent is the quintessence of democracy.” As such, NTC said it “detest the attempt of political group to curtail or intimidate the stakeholders from expressing its opinion or observation. Such attempts are alien to our culture.”

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