Indo-Naga Settlement Stalled By Gun Politics – RN Ravi
Friday, March 29, 2024
image
Nagaland

Indo-Naga settlement stalled by gun politics – RN Ravi

6135
By Reyivolü Rhakho Updated: Jan 26, 2021 10:07 pm

Ravi
RN Ravi inspecting the parade on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day in Kohima on Tuesday. (EM images)

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Jan. 26 (EMN): Nagaland Governor RN Ravi on Tuesday said the “latest initiative” to the Indo-Naga political settlement could not be fruitful as some people are ‘not willing to forsake gun politics’.

He was addressing the 72nd Republic Day programme held at Secretariat Plaza in Kohima January 26.

“The latest initiative since the last 24 years could not fructify as yet due to unrealistic intransigence of some people who are unwilling to forsake the politics by gun”, he said and added that mainstream Naga society has never accepted violence as a political resource.

Ravi, who is also the interlocutor for Naga peace talks, said that Naga leaders “remained committed to the democratic politics” in the initial decade of Independence.

According to him, “It was only in December 1955 when some radical leaders decided to use guns to achieve their political objective that the Naga society was divided”.

“Even in the midst of raging violence the mainstream Naga Society got together, united the Nagas who were divided between Assam and NEFA and through over four years of socio political churning and skilful negotiations with the Government of India created Nagaland state with unique status under Article 371-A of the Indian Constitution”, he added.

With the creation of a unique state, he said, “the people of Nagaland took control of their destiny. Normalcy began returning to the land. Unfortunately, at that time some hostile foreign agencies began fishing the troubled water. They exploited the Naga insurgency for their own geo-political interests at the cost of the Naga people. They fundamentally changed the basic character of the Naga political movement to the detriment of Naga’s identity and interests”.

“It is a matter of record that in the last some 50 years, far many times more Nagas have died in fratricidal and factional killings by the armed groups who believed in the power of the barrel of guns than those in conflict with the security forces”, Ravi said.

The “politics by gun”, he said, has fragmented the Naga society. It has pitted ‘neighbours against each other, Khels against Khels and tribes against tribes’, he stated. He went on to add that gun politics did not even spare the Church for their honest initiatives to usher peace in this land.

“There is ample space for resolution of differences through peaceful dialogue in a democracy. However, there is no space for politics by gun. Those who believe in such a politics shall always remain outliers in a democracy. The unrealistic, self – destructive and divisive politics has exhausted the people of Nagaland. “The primary stakeholders have made their positions abundantly clear that the era of guns must end without further delay and enduring peace must be restored. They have made it clear that unresolved issues (if any) be pursued through dialogue post-settlement,” Ravi said.  

6135
By Reyivolü Rhakho Updated: Jan 26, 2021 10:07:36 pm
Website Design and Website Development by TIS