GPRN/NSCN (Unification) accuses Nagaland government of contradicting its stand on the Naga peace process.
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DIMAPUR — The GPRN/NSCN (Unification) on Tuesday accused the Nagaland government of taking positions that contradict its officially declared policy on the Naga peace process, alleging that recent statements by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Roads and Bridges Minister G Kaito Aye could undermine efforts towards an early political settlement.
In a statement issued through its Ministry of Information and Publicity (MIP), the group strongly criticised remarks reportedly made by Kaito Aye during the general conference of the Sumi Kukami Hoho (SKH) in Zunheboto, where he allegedly urged hereditary village chiefs and traditional leaders to dissociate themselves from Naga underground groups.
Calling the statement “irrational, unjustified and bereft of any historical or moral foundation”, the GPRN/NSCN (U) said village chiefs were not extensions of underground organisations but “custodians of Naga political aspirations and the guardians of democratic traditions embedded within Naga customary institutions”.
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The group asserted that village heads played a central role in sustaining the Naga nationalist movement and referred to past incidents of violence in Hoshepu village in Sumi region, Phor village in Pochury region and Huker village in Yimkhiung region as part of the collective memory of the Naga people.
The statement further alleged that certain ministers in the state government were functioning as “segregated stovepipes” and attempting to create discord within the Naga political movement.
The organisation also questioned recent remarks made by Rio during an interview with a private television channel, particularly his reported insistence on appointing a Union Minister of State for Home Affairs as interlocutor for the Naga talks.
According to the GPRN/NSCN (U), such a position contradicted the officially declared stand of the state government and was inconsistent with earlier commitments made regarding the peace process.
Referring to the seventh session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly in February 2021, the group recalled that then Governor and interlocutor RN Ravi had stated that negotiations had concluded and that efforts should move “expeditiously towards the final settlement”.
The organisation maintained that, following the conclusion of negotiations, there was “no necessity for any interlocutor”, claiming that matters within the preamble had already been mutually agreed upon.
It further claimed that details of the negotiations and understandings reached had been briefed to the Council of Ministers and legislators after the talks concluded, and said elected leaders should avoid creating “confusion or contradictory narratives” at a time when Naga political groups were working towards a consensual settlement with the Government of India.
The GPRN/NSCN (U) also objected to the use of the term “underground”, describing it as derogatory, and said the term should instead be replaced with “Naga Nationalists” or “Naga Nationalist Political Groups”.