EMN
Dimapur, March 9
A consultative meeting of Nagaland Legislators’ Forum on Naga Political Issue, with all ‘Naga political groups’ was held here at Police Complex, Chumukedima today.
The meeting, attended by representatives of three NNC groups, barring Adino group, and the NSCN Khole/Kitovi and Reformation groups, called for early solution to Naga political problem.
Chief Minister TR Zeliang in his address exhorted various leaders of ‘Naga political groups’ to have more consultations, deliberations and discussions on how best to solve the protracted Naga political problem so that the sacrifices made by generations of Nagas including the present leaders may bear fruit for the future generations to harvest.
“Let your sacrifices bear fruit for our children to reap the benefits. We should not bequeath our children with an unsolved political problem. Nagas have suffered for too long and we must find a solution that is honourable, acceptable to all sections of the society,” Zeliang said.
The Chief Minister said, “The more we consult each other and share views and opinions, the better we understand each other and we need to have more consultations on the issue at hand”. “The Naga political problem is not a factional, tribal or any political party’s problem – it is a problem of all Nagas and therefore, we must all come together and put our heads together to find permanent peace in our area, This is not the time to point out who is right and who is wrong, but the time to point out what is right and what will be best for our Naga people as a whole,” he said.
Zeliang elaborated, “We, as elected representatives of the people, have sworn allegiance to the constitution of India and therefore, we cannot take part in the negotiating table. And we have made it very clear to the government of India that we can only facilitate early solution of the problem; we can only suggest; we can only ask that the interests of all are taken into consideration while bringing out a final solution.” The Chief Minister also said that though the Election Manifesto of every political party in Nagaland mentions early solution to the Naga political party if voted to power, the matter is kept in the back-burner once elections are over.
“However, my government has taken up the issue with all seriousness and in July last year, the Parliamentary Working Committee took a step forward by sending a delegation to the national capital to meet the Prime Minister, Home Ministers and Interlocutor RN Ravi. Last month, another team of the PWC met national political party leaders and requested for support in the Parliament for an early solution which is all-inclusive, honorable and acceptable to all sections of the Naga society,” the Chief Minister pointed out.
He expressed confidence that the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sincere and determined to solve the Naga problem and pointed out that the Interlocutor RN Ravi enjoyed much more confidence of the Prime Minister than his predecessors Padmanabhaiah and RS Pandey.
He said, the Home Minister told a delegation of the PWC that RN Ravi was entrusted not only to talk to the Naga people but also to solve the Naga problem, and added that “future generations will praise us if we choose wisely and take timely decisions now.”
“We know only how to criticize each other and not how to protect each other,” he rued and appealed to leaders of the different political groups to emulate the present Legislative Assembly where all legislators, despite having fiercely fought each other in the last elections, have come together under the umbrella of the NPF “for the sake of early solution to the Naga political problem.”
Zeliang said, “We have also made it clear to the Government of India that Naga people do not want piece-meal solution, but a one-time solution that is applicable to all Nagas regardless of where they live.”
