DIMAPUR, JUNE 24: The chief minister of Nagaland is convinced that “once the protracted Naga political problem is solved, the state can become insurgency-free and peace and tranquillity shall prevail.” For said aspect, TR Zeliang has sought the ‘support’ of Nagaland's neighboring states “to make Nagaland an ‘insurgency-free’ zone once the political problem is resolved.”
The Chief Minister’s Office issued a press release on Thursday informing about, curiously, what it said was comments made during an interview to The Telegraph in Guwahati.
“Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang said once the Naga political problem is solved, the state can be as peaceful as Sikkim or Mizoram and sought support of neighbouring states. Speaking to the Telegraph yesterday at Guwahati before departing for New Delhi, the chief minister said that ‘once the protracted Naga political problem is solved, the state can become insurgency-free and peace and tranquillity shall prevail,’” the CMO’s press release stated.
In the words of the CMO, Zeliang reportedly “expressed confidence that an early solution is on the anvil and went on to narrate his interactions with National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval and interlocutor RN Ravi who had assured him that there were no major differences between the negotiating parties and that both sides are keen on finding a solution to the problem.”
“He told the Telegraph that Ravi had told him earlier there are no major hurdles as such and that only some little differences are to be sorted out. We are hopeful of an early solution, he said and went on to add that all the sixty legislators would be meeting the prime minister to impress upon him to expedite the peace agreement,” the CMO's handout stated.
“We are waiting for an appointment with the prime minister,” the chief minister was stated to have said. ‘Communication from the PMO is expected soon after the prime minister returns from his foreign tour.’
The CMO claimed that “he said the prime minister had insisted on meeting a select team of the legislators, but relented to the request when told that all the legislators wanted to meet him personally and hear about the development from him.”
The press release also stated that the chief minister was in Guwahati to attend the meeting of the North East Democratic Alliance. The chief minister appealed for the support and cooperation of the neighbouring states to make Nagaland an “insurgency-free” zone once the political problem was resolved.
