Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday said in the state assembly that the state government is seriously concerned about the pending settlement of the Naga political issue and urged the central government to be more sincere. Interestingly, he also stated that the state government is not aware of the exact status of the ongoing Naga peace talks. This, in itself, reflects the complexity of the Naga political issue, but unfortunately, such confidentiality is also causing fatigue and division among the Naga people, which in turn further complicates the problem.
On the issue of the integration of Naga contiguous areas, Rio said the state assembly has a keen interest in the matter, as evidenced by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly passing and adopting eight resolutions on the issue in 1962, 1970, 1994, 2003, 2015, 2018, and 2021. Although he did not explicitly suggest that the NLA will pass another resolution on the matter, it is likely that yet another resolution will be adopted as the ongoing Naga political talks enter a crucial phase with the Centre’s emissary on Naga peace talks, A.K. Mishra. The ongoing sixth session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) will continue until March 8.
The demand for the integration of Naga contiguous areas stems from the 16-Point Agreement of 1960, which led to the creation of Nagaland state under the Indian Union. Points 12 and 13 of the agreement pertain to the integration of contiguous Naga areas. In this context, it would be beneficial for all stakeholders, especially the younger generation, if the NLA could officially record the narrative behind the other points of the agreement.
This is particularly important with regard to Point No. 2, which pertains to the ministry in charge of Nagaland. It states that Nagaland shall be under the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India. Therefore, the NLA must also consider passing a resolution demanding the implementation of Point No. 2.
