Amit Shah asks Nagaland government to convince NSCN (IM) to ink final solution on Naga political issue

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 12 (EMN): Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked the government of Nagaland to meet the NSCN (IM) and convince the group to ink the final solution to the protracted Naga political issue.

Member Secretary of Parliamentary Committee on Naga Political Issue, Neiba Kronu said that Shah had conveyed the message to the delegation from Nagaland led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Deputy CM Y Patton, during a meeting in New Delhi on Monday.

An 11-member delegation of the Parliamentary Core Committee on Naga Political Issue comprising UDA chairman TR Zeliang, UDA co-chairman Kuzholuzo Nienu, ministers G Kaito Aye, S Pangnyu Phom, Neiba Kronu and Tongpang Ozukum; and legislators H Khehovi Yeptho, Phukhayi and Khriehu Liezietsu had been camping in New Delhi since last week to meet the central leadership to give a “final push” for solving the Naga problem before the state assembly election next year.

The stalemate in the Naga peace process continues as the NSCN (IM) has been firm on its demand for a separate Naga constitution and a flag as part of an ‘honourable, acceptable and inclusive’ solution, while the government of India is not willing to give in to the demand.

Kronu, who is also the minister for Planning and Co-ordination, Land Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, said that the team (core committee delegation) would meet with the NSCN (IM) leaders on returning to Nagaland and convince them to ink the final solution.

He said the delegation had submitted the core committee’s July 16 resolution to Shah and urged him to revisit the competencies to resolve the contentious issue for an early solution to the issue.

The resolution also urged the Prime Minister and Home Minister and to invite the NSCN (IM) leaders for an ‘early conclusion’ as the negotiations with the NPGs had been concluded on October 31, 2019.

The core committee went on to request the Centre to expedite the peace process considering the state assembly election scheduled to held in the first quarter of 2023.

The team was said to have met with the government of India’s interlocutor for Naga peace talks AK Mishra on Thursday last week and handed him a copy of the core committee’s July 16 resolution.

Nagaland Chief Minister Rio also informed about the meeting with Shah on Monday. “Once again, we urged the GoI to expedite the protracted negotiations on the issue and bring about an early and honourable solution,” he tweeted.

Deputy CM Patton also updated on Twitter that delegation from the state had ‘urged the GoI to bring about an early and honourable solution, in line with the people’s aspirations’.

In an attempt to end the decades-old Naga political issue, the government of India had signed ceasefire with almost all the NPGs and had been holding peace talks for several years. It signed Framework Agreement with the NSCN (IM) in 2015 and then Agreed Position with the Working Committee, Naga National Political Groups (WC-NNPG) but no solution in sight till date.