Parliamentary Core Committee on Naga Political Issue holds meeting with NSCN (IM)

Our Reporter
Dimapur, July 21 (EMN): The Parliamentary Core Committee on Naga Political Issue led by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had a meeting with the leaders of NSCN (IM) at Rhododendron Hall, Police Complex, Chümoukedima in Dimapur, on Wednesday to discuss matters related to the protracted Naga issue.

It came a day after the recently constituted core committee had its first meeting with the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups on Tuesday.

The co-convenor of the core committee, TR Zeliang, told journalists after the meeting that the legislators had an interaction with the NSCN (IM) after a long time and it was “sailing well”.

He said that “they (NSCN-IM) understood our point and we understood their contention”. He added that the two negotiating groups are expected to sit across the table with the 60 elected members of Nagaland Legislative Assembly so that “we could arrive at some kind of conclusion”.

He further shared that the core committee had requested them to resume the talks with the government of India and they too would pursue as a facilitator, so that “we can arrive at a common ground and the Naga negotiating group will approach the government of India with a common approach”.

“That is how we expect that we can arrive at a kind of conclusion,” he added.

On the latest political development in the state, Zeliang stated that the Naga People’s Front (NPF) had agreed to the concept of an “opposition-less government” because of the Naga political issue.

“When we have opposition and ruling; we come together in the assembly but we have differences outside the house, but it is possible when we are together, and there is a way the government of India will listen when we are together and have the same approach. With that perception we have decided to agree to the concept of this opposition-less government,” he shared.

When asked if the NPF party had consulted with the Bharatiya Janata Party about joining the People’s Democratic Alliance, he replied that the chief minister would talk to them. He said that “now the ball is in their court”.

NPF MLA Imkong L Imchen also stated that ‘solution is not in their hands’.

“We are federating to find the common ground for the Naga different groups so that they go for a meaningful discussion with the government. The objective of NPF joining PDA is for active facilitation,” he said.

He added that seven of the NPF MLAs were not in the meeting and only 18 of them attended for ‘reasons best known to them’.