Morung Express News
December 10
DIMAPUR: The United Naga Council led delegation today met Home Minister Shivraj Patil with the singular agenda that the Naga territories should be ‘unified’ as the first step towards bringing about a political solution to the protracted Naga issue. They will meet Union Minister Oscar Fernandes on December 12 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 15.
Earlier on Friday, the Naga delegation from Manipur met Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and DONER Minister PR Kyndiah.
Speaking to The Morung Express over telephone from New Delhi, UNC President Puni Modoli informed that the delegation conveyed the message that unless the Government of India took concrete and visible steps towards integration of all Naga-dominated areas, the Naga people would question the very credibility of the ongoing ceasefire and the subsequent peace process.
“If New Delhi cannot guarantee even this much, the entire process will be reduced to a sham”, Modoli said. The delegation also conveyed to Patil that the ‘process’ for unification of Naga territories was very much possible within the ambit of the Indian constitution.
A copy of the Naga Peoples Council resolution passed recently in Senapati was also submitted to the Home Minister. “We told that there is no going back on the peoples commitment and aspiration on unification”, Modoli said.
In line with the Senapati resolution, the delegation also told the Indian leadership not to create a budget for the four hill district “because we will never accept this through the Manipur government” and instead requested that funds meant for them be kept in Delhi.
The latest meeting of the Naga leaders from Manipur comes in the backdrop of the crucial round of talks slated for December 16 at Bangkok. The NSCN (IM) had recently threatened to call off the peace talks with the Centre if New Delhi failed to reach a final political settlement of the vexed Naga issue within the current spell of the ceasefire, which expires on January 31.
