Peace accords are meant to resolve conflicts, restore trust and pave the way for political stability. Yet in the Northeast, the record of implementation tells a very different story. The Assam Accord of 1985 remains a work in progress even after four decades. The Bodoland Accord of 2020, hailed as the culmination of years of dialogue and the end of armed struggle, is already facing the same fate. If these agreements remain only partially executed, it is needless to say that any settlement to the Naga political question appears farther than what negotiators and officials would have people believe.
At Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the signatories of the 2020 Bodoland Accord just recently staged a protest demanding fulfillment of commitments that remain unaddressed. The All Bodo Students Union, Ex NDFB Welfare Association and United Boro People’s Organization pointed out that major clauses to enhance the autonomy and financial powers of the Bodoland Territorial Council, provisions related to the Sixth Schedule, land rights, educational reforms and rehabilitation of former cadres continue to lie unattended.
In Assam, nearly forty years after the Assam Accord ended a turbulent mass movement, several key provisions of Clause 6 still await execution. Committee after committee has submitted reports, fresh undertakings have been issued, and yet the political and administrative responsibility to give effect to constitutional safeguards remains open.
Against this backdrop, Nagaland’s peace process must be seen with realism rather than hopeful slogans. The Framework Agreement of 2015 and the Agreed Position of 2017 still exist without a conclusive settlement. No political arrangement on the basis of either has been finalized. The delay is not merely bureaucratic. It reflects a consistent national pattern where signing agreements is often easier than implementing them.
One is reminded of the Scottish Declaration of Independence of 1320. The Naga struggle has been built on the same principle of self-determination, grounded in what is described as a unique history and position. Yet even after the signing of the Framework Agreement and the Agreed Position, no solution based on these documents has materialized. There is every likelihood that the Naga political question will far outlive the negotiating parties.
