The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has expressed astonishment at what it called “vague, generic and oblique” reference to ushering in lasting peace in the Northeast made by President Droupadi Murmu in her recent address to both Houses of Parliament.
The NPCC stated that the government’s approach reflects either a callous disregard for the region’s issues or a lack of understanding of the complexities and peculiarities of the various Northeastern states.
NPCC highlighted the ongoing crisis in Manipur, where ethnic violence has displaced over 60,000 people, forcing them to live in relief camps for nearly a year. Despite this, the NPCC said that the government did not consider the situation significant enough to mention in the Presidential address.
The NPCC criticized the ruling government’s response to the crisis, pointing out that when Manipur’s Lok Sabha Member, AB Akoijam, attempted to discuss the issue, he was interrupted by a Treasury Bench member who cited the nomination of Mary Kom to the Rajya Sabha as a sufficient action.
“As though that act alone was more than enough to absolve the Central Government to remain a mute spectator to the whole unfortunate turn of events in Manipur!” the NPCC said. The NPCC called this attitude insensitive, cruel, and abominable.
The NPCC also condemned the government’s failure to address the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, describing it as archaic and in need of revision to reflect a more humane perspective. It questioned how lasting peace could be achieved without genuine efforts to restore normalcy and address critical issues like the Manipur crisis.
Furthermore, the NPCC noted the absence of any mention of the Naga political issue in the President’s address, despite it being the country’s longest insurgency problem, adding that it “speaks volumes about the concern that the NDA Government has for the Naga people.”
The NPCC pointed out that Prime Minister Modi had previously claimed to have solved the Naga issue with the 2015 Framework Agreement, yet the problem remains unresolved, with multiple factions of Naga political groups continuing to proliferate.
The NPCC highlighted that the Centre signed the Agreed Position with the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups in 2017, but the situation has not improved. It said that there are now 24 factions, and illegal extortion by these groups continues unchecked, with the business community resorting to strikes to protest the lawlessness.
The NPCC also recalled that, in 2019, the then-Governor of Nagaland and the Centre’s Interlocutor, RN Ravi, set a deadline for negotiations and claimed that all formalities for a peace accord were in place. “But so far, we are not aware of what the solution is or when it will come about,” the NPCC said.
The NPCC questioned the government’s claims of pursuing lasting peace, stating that the Naga issue remains unresolved and continues to affect neighbouring states and Myanmar.
It urged the NDA government to take concrete actions to demonstrate that the Northeast is an integral part of India and that the Union Government cares for all sections of the country, irrespective of race or geographical location.