Dimapur, August 6 (MExN): The Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (WC, NNPGs) on Thursday hit out at the Nagaland government’s demand for a Union Minister-level interlocutor in the Indo-Naga peace process, terming it an “insult to the Naga conscience” and a deliberate attempt to sabotage the already concluded negotiations.
The WC, NNPGs, in its statement, said the demand was “insensible and discourteous” to the Naga public and amounted to undermining years of effort and sacrifice by both the Government of India (GoI) and Naga interlocutors.
It asserted that the Indo-Naga political negotiations have been “successfully concluded” and that no such facilitator-level arrangement is required. It alleged that the state government’s move is a “grave crime” aimed at undermining the agreements reached with the Government of India. “History will not forgive the saboteurs,” it stated.
“The demand for a Minister level interlocutor is extremely insensible and discourteous to the Naga public. The efforts and sacrifices of both the Gol and Naga interlocutory over many years, not to mention the wastage of Naga talents and human resources for decades,” the statement read.
The current demand for a ministerial interlocutor reflects a “bankruptcy of ideas” and amounts to fomenting an “anti-national narrative,” it stated.
The WC, NNPGs questioned the authority of elected representatives from Nagaland to lay conditions on the Centre regarding concluded negotiations, pointing out that the Nagaland Legislative Assembly had formed an opposition-less government specifically to expedite an early political solution.
It challenged the state government to convene a “Special assembly session and appeal to the Gol for implementation of early solution” or officially declare their non-acceptance of the Framework Agreement or Agreed Position. “If they are desirous of handling Indo-Naga political issue, dissolve the legislative assembly, put up their own demands, whether it's the demand for new interlocutor or other Indo-Naga political matters if they really want to act as negotiators.”
“The facilitators are speaking the language of negotiating entities and that is the problem. They have commercialized the Naga political movement,” it alleged, adding that if state leaders wished to act as negotiators, they should resign from constitutional posts and form a “Naga National Political Party” to start fresh negotiations.
The statement further recalled that since 2019, the WC, NNPGs have placed a detailed ‘Status Paper’ outlining a practical solution for Nagaland and Naga ancestral territories, but have received no official feedback from the state government.
The WC, NNPGs maintained that the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Chief Minister are fully aware of the details of both the Framework Agreement and Agreed Position. It noted that former Nagaland Governor RN Ravi had addressed the state assembly on January 17, 2021, confirming that “the Negotiations have successfully concluded, there is now need for efforts to build on the substantial gains made so far and to move for final inking.”
“Having seen and heard enough theatrics, the demand for a minister level interlocutor is an insult to the Naga conscience,” it concluded.
