Centre reacts after Muivah’s statement; Congress’ Jairam Ramesh slams BJP’s ‘bluff and rule’

Following the statement by NSCN-IM’s Chief Political Negotiator, Th Muivah, in which the group declared it would “resume violent armed resistance against India” if the Centre fails to allow “third-party” intervention, the Centre has reportedly taken note of the development.

According to NELive, the Centre has acknowledged the latest statement issued by NSCN-IM but is “unlikely to close its doors” to continued negotiations with the group in an effort to resolve the protracted Naga issue.

Sources told the news outlet that NSCN-IM has “long insisted on the demand for a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas, so the emphasis on these two demands in the November 7 statement by the group’s general secretary, Muivah, is not new”.

“The only major new emphasis in Muivah’s statement is the proposal or demand for allowing third-party intervention to drive home the need, as the NSCN-IM calls it, to honour the 2015 Framework Agreement in letter and spirit,” the report added.

Congress’ Jairam Ramesh slams BJP’s ‘bluff and rule’

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over its handling of the Naga issue, particularly in light of the recent statement by NSCN-IM’s general secretary, Th. Muivah. Ramesh, taking to X (formerly Twitter), accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of making false promises regarding the Naga peace process.

On August 3, 2015, Modi had touted the signing of the Framework Agreement with NSCN-IM as a “game-changer” that would transform the North-East. However, Ramesh pointed out that nearly nine years later, there is still no clarity on the specifics of the agreement.

“On Aug 3 2015 the non-biological PM boasted about this being a game-changer that would transform the NE. 9 years later we still are in the dark regarding details of the agreement. And now this. Bluff and Rule is the Modi hallmark,” Ramesh wrote.

MT