Meeeting assumes significance in the backdrop of recent trading of barbs
Eastern
Mirror Desk
Dimapur, March 5 (EMN): Amid visible tensions and
differences, the government of India’s interlocutor for Indo-Naga peace talks,
RN Ravi will hold an “emergency meeting” with a delegation of NSCN (IM) in New
Delhi on March 9, according to a report in EastMojo
on Thursday.
The report, citing highly-placed sources in the Union Home ministry, stated that the NSCN (IM) delegation will be led by senior functionary, VS Atem owing to ‘Ato Kilonser’ Thuingaleng Muivah’s ill-health.
Ravi, who is also the governor of Nagaland, has already left the state for the national capital on Thursday, it added.
The meeting assumes significance as the NSCN (IM) had been critical of the remarks made by Ravi who, in a recent interview, had accused the group of misinterpreting the ‘framework agreement’ with “new and mischievous interpretations” to delay a permanent solution.
In response, the NSCN (IM) had issued a strongly-worded press release, reiterating that the final solution shall be a “Naga solution” which is inclusive of all Nagas. It had also said that the “peaceful coexistence of the two entities shall only be through the sharing of sovereign power”.
It had also questioned the “hypocrisy and double standards” of New Delhi.
The meeting also assumes significance as a high-level delegation from the working committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) had on February 24 met with Ravi in New Delhi.
Back then, reports had quoted sources from the NNPG as saying that the government of India was “prepared to go ahead and sign the agreement anytime”, even without the NSCN (IM).
“We are simply finalising the document that we have been working on. We are trying to have clear understanding on the issues,” the NNPG sources had said.
Adding further, the sources said that if all negotiations are done, the government of India is prepared to go ahead and sign the agreement anytime.
“But for the interest of the Nagas and India, all stakeholders are to be consulted. Government of India is aware that NSCN (IM) is prolonging the talks,” the report read.
In January, the NSCN (IM) had warned the Centre about the need to “save the political dialogue instead of creating distrust at this stage and demolishing the political negotiation”.
Expressing its disappointment over central intelligence agencies, particularly the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the group said that activities conducted by the NIA only created “trust deficit in the minds of the Nagas and the NSCN”.
The NSCN (IM) had also warned that only when the Centre starts respecting the “commitment”, the political dialogue can move forward in the spirit of “mutual trust and understanding”.
