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Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 13 (EMN): Nagaland Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President, Temjen Imna Along, on Saturday, said the people cannot blame the party for delay in the Naga political settlement as there are two sides, and both have to agree on the terms to ink a final settlement.
He asserted that the issue has been politicised ‘as if the BJP leadership should be the one only to give solution’, adding that the government of India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, is ‘ready’ and ‘willing’ for settlement.
Along stated that the Core Committee on Naga Political Issue under Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Dy CM Y Patton was doing its best to facilitate the final solution.
Responding to the claim that the BJP is responsible for the 2018 slogan 'Election for solution,' the minister said he was not part of the talks.
"Being willing to assert a settlement of solution to the age-old Naga political issue is the endeavour of the Modi-led government; it is the effort of the Modi-led government, negotiations go on. There may be some hitches and some agreeable things and if something is still not being settled, then you cannot blame the BJP for not settling it," he said.
On NPCC’s claim of merger
Reacting to Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee’s (NPCC) claim of a possible merger post-polls, he said, "There is nothing today about that, the information that they take is distorted. The BJP and NDPP have, as two political parties of the state, come together with the blessings of central leaders, and to continue as partners again for the years to come is also with the blessings of central leaders."
He maintained that there is no hidden agenda for merger of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and BJP, while citing the clarification made by the chief minister at Kisama on Friday.
“Politics can be played but the information from where the NPCC is getting is somewhere out of where we don't get information,” said the president.
On the statement made by the then BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav and the BJP National Vice-President Chuba Ao to contest as a single party, Along said the decision of the BJP leadership at Delhi led by National President J P Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and organisational general secretary B L Santhosh "is final".
When asked if he was consulted before signing the pre-poll alliance between the NDPP and BJP for the upcoming state assembly election, he replied, "I am the state president to follow the directives of the national president, so what they have decided is what I concur. It is actually not needed to be consulted as they (decide) what is best for the state and the wisdom of the central leaders is to give good governance and stability to the people of the state (sic)."
Meanwhile, he opined that the right way of delivering good governance and stability is to continue the alliance to prove its worth vis-a-vis the Naga political issue, development and inclusiveness, and progress of the people of the state.