Kohima, August 29 (MTNews): The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) observed today that both the Government of India (GoI) and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Government in Nagaland have “apathetic and lackadaisical attitude towards sincere conclusion of the peace process though the official negotiations were completed by the 31st October, 2019.”
In a press statement, NTC also said that the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, during his maiden visit to Nagaland on 1.12.2015 made the promise that the Naga Political Issue would be resolved within 18 months’ time, but added that it has gone into oblivion. It also added that the then BJP general secretary Ram Madhav’s “election for solution” slogan in 2018 “has become a shameful betrayal.”
NTC went on to say that the Naga negotiators believed in the determination and sincerity of the GoI and thus “the processes of negotiations had already been successfully completed under the Interlocutor-ship of RN Ravi.”
“Thus, definitely the ball is now in the court of the GoI, and it is time for the Union Govt. to make it or unmake it without keeping the people of Nagaland in suspense any longer,” NTC stated.
Citing the uncertainties on the fate of the political negotiations between the Gol and the Naga groups NSCN (IM) and WC, NNPGs, NTC said that though the GoI may or may not consider it to be a serious concern, “the quarter of a century ‘peace process’ has immense toll on the life of the citizens in Nagaland.”
While expressing concern over the uncertainties on the fate of the political negotiations between the Gol and the two groups of the Naga political negotiators – NSCN (IM) and WC-NNPG – despite signing Framework Agreement in 2015 and Agreed Position 2017 respectively, it said the ‘peace process’ stretching for quarter of a century “has immense toll on the life of the citizens in Nagaland”.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee report, which was tabled in both houses of the Parliament on July 19, 2018, “strongly recommends that the government should conclude the peace talks, at the earliest, based on a broad understanding over the most contentious issues… but Naga political issue hasn’t been taken up for discussion in the Parliament,” the NTC lamented.
“The elected representatives, particularly from Nagaland in both the Houses of Parliament and in the State Assembly did take little interest to pursue the long cherished solution to the Naga political issue,” read the NTC statement.
NTC said the public has become victims of unabated multiple illegal taxations, and “suppressive and anti-people activities of the selfish authorities and the armed elements alike under the signed ceasefires during the last 25 years”. It added, “The worst victims are the educated youth and the tens of thousands of the school dropouts.”
Stating that the “sole remedial measure for the existing ailment of Nagaland is the Naga political solution”, it said the “consequences of further delay in solution or the fiasco will be disastrous.”
The NTC claimed that the four-point resolution adopted by the Core Committee on the Naga Political Issue on July 16 2022 was “found scuttled and allowed it to die a premature death”, adding that “the UDA is hell bent against solution”.
It went on to term the chief minister’s focus on the upcoming state Assembly election as a “ploy to demean the peaceful process” and “the opinion of the NDPP President that the MLAs are to resign post the attainment of the agreement implies that the MLAS have refused to pave the way”.