Dimapur, September 18 (MExN): Former Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K Therie has said President’s Rule would be the quickest way to implement the Naga agreements, while questioning the demand for a fresh committee or interlocutor to facilitate talks on a political settlement.
In a statement, Therie said the issue was about finding a political solution and not any personal agenda. Referring to the last paragraph of the Framework Agreement (FA), he said the Centre and state government were responsible for working out the details and execution plan in the interest of stakeholders within the principles of the FA and the Agreed Position.
Therie said the state government was a party to the agreements and questioned how long the word “shortly” in the FA was intended to mean.
He questioned the NPF government's demand for a committee to hold discussions, arguing that the talks had concluded six years ago and that the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) stood by their agreements. He said there was scope to add or delete provisions while working out the details and therefore, according to him, there was no justification for a new interlocutor or committee.
Therie alleged that the NPF government did not want a solution and described it as a “roadblock”, while attributing political motives to its position. These were his allegations and were not independently established.
He also criticised remarks by NPF Secretary General and Advisor Achumbemo Kikon concerning former Nagaland chief minister Dr S C Jamir. Therie said Jamir had played a role in persuading former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 to offer talks without preconditions.
Therie said the FA had addressed issues of sovereignty and integration and urged Nagas living outside Nagaland to refrain from speaking on behalf of the state and insulting its leaders and community.
He also advised Kikon to focus on protecting the interests of the people of Nagaland and said the issue was implementation of the agreements rather than any individual.
Therie accused the NPF of having, over the past 23 years, supported what he described as “lawlessness and delay” in implementing a political solution through policies of equi-closeness, active facilitation and inclusiveness. He further alleged that the party had used different Naga groups to influence the state government and suppress stakeholders. These claims were made by Therie in the statement.
He also questioned the state government's recent statements regarding committees for discussions, asking for the notification constituting the alleged Apex Committee.
Therie said the Government of India had rejected the Chief Minister's proposal for appointment of a new interlocutor for fresh talks based on the concluded negotiations.
He argued that since the Chief Minister could not personally sit with the Prime Minister or Union Home Minister to work out the details, President's Rule would be the quickest way to implement the agreements.
Therie said there was nothing wrong in demanding President's Rule and referred to what he described as the Chief Minister and NPF's own commitment “to pave the way” for a political solution.
The Framework Agreement was signed between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) in 2015, while the NNPGs signed the Agreed Position with the Centre in 2017. Therie has previously advocated President's Rule in connection with implementation of the Naga political agreements.
