Nagaland Tribes Council asks NSCN (IM) to make its competencies public

Says it is not the time to claim political mileage out of the prevailing situation

Dimapur, June 1 (EMN): The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has called upon “the NSCN (IM) to be transparent and bring out its competencies to the public domain”, saying that people cannot wait any longer for the Naga solution with the negotiations between the government of India and the Naga negotiators having completed 25 years.

In a statement issued after its general session held on May 31 in Kohima, the NTC said the NSCN (IM) should take a call without wasting any more time as the GoI is clear on its parameters of negotiations with the understanding that has reached on October 31, 2019.

The NTC also accused the Core Committee on Naga Political Issue of misusing its role by projecting itself to be the indispensable broker between the GoI and the Naga negotiators. The committee is at best a facilitator, so its members giving statements on any agenda of any of the negotiators is uncalled for, it said.

‘This is not the season for any facilitator including the core committee to assert so as to claim political mileage out of the prevailing situation by misguiding the gullible public and such ambition has to be restrained. Indeed, everyone’s effort, be it the negotiator or the facilitator, must be focussed on solution alone and not otherwise,’ read the statement.

The council also said the panel member’s statement that the core committee would meet the central leaders after some time and would need the support of Assam Chief Minister and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma, implied that the outcome of its meeting with the NSCN (IM) would be submitted to him, who will then “convey it to the GoI”.

Rejecting such a move, it said Nagas have official negotiators in NSCN (IM) and WC-NNPG as well as the legitimate state government, who have access to GoI through the official emissary. It went on to warn the committee “not to over indulge or to expose the competencies on the negotiating table sacred to the Nagas”.

The NTC also said that it totally disagrees with one of the resolutions adopted by the United Naga Council (UNC) at its recent presidential council meeting, which said “Nagas must take our own time” for a solution, asking if 25 years of negotiation is not a long time.

“What logic the UNC has to get better dividend out of longer period of negotiation?” it asked, adding if UNC can ensure indefinite ceasefire between the GoI and the Naga negotiators in order to continue the talks. Terming the resolution has senseless, it said “people of Nagaland are tired of multiple taxations”.

“Be it the facilitators or the negotiators, whoever is using delaying tactics to thwart the political solution are indeed the exploiters of the bona fide citizens of Nagaland,” it added.

It also said that it ‘detest the attempt of political group to curtail the stakeholders from expressing their opinion’.