Talks between Naga delegation and P.M.
The fifth round of talks between the underground Naga delegation and the Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, which began here [New Delhi] to-day [January 2] was held in a friendly atmosphere. The meeting lasted 45 minutes. To-morrow Mr. Z. Ramyo of the Naga delegation, will have informal discussions with the officials of the Government of India. The Prime Minister extended new year greetings to the Naga delegation and hoped that the new year will find a solution to the problem. She is also understood to have reiterated that within the broad framework of Nagaland being an integral part of the Indian Union, the Centre will be willing to grant the maximum amount of autonomy to Nagaland, even if it meant amendment of the Constitution. The Nagas, for their part, expressed the hope that peaceful conditions will prevail in Nagaland, and the problem will be settled in a peaceful way. The fact that informal discussions will continue to-morrow was itself interpreted as a sign of progress. Mr. Ramyo said that it was too soon for him to say whether an agreement was round the corner Vigorous efforts are being made to find an agreement. Asked whether it was a fact that Phizo had sent a communication to the underground Nagas that they should not have any settlement on any basis, Mr. Ramyo replied, “We are always in touch with Phizo and we have not received any such communication.” He said that it was unlikely that Phizo would hold a different opinion from that of the “Federal Government” of Nagas.
Reappraisal of Indo-U.S. ties suggested
Washington is said to believe that there should a period during which India and the United States will “draw apart” from each other with a view eventually to re-establishing a more fruitful, free and stable relationship between them. The U.S. hopes that this drawing apart or disengagement can be accomplished by common consent and be based on a detailed evaluation of the present status of their relationship. Senior policy makers, who hold this view, would prefer to have such a review take place after the Indian elections are over. What Washington is apparently thinking of is not a divorce or a break but a politely arranged cooling off period aimed at saving the marriage rather than annulling it. The U.S. feels this to be the prudent thing to do because it feels the frayed edges in the relationship between the two countries during the last year are due largely to the client-customer relationship that has developed instead of the mutually more advantageous tie of interdependence. It is this, the U.S. believes, which has often led Indians to complain that “pressures of various sorts are being exerted on India”. During the year just ended there have been several such complaints Washington was charged with having engineered devaluation; it was held guilty of suspending economic aid when India needed it most and it was said to have asked India to revamp its agricultural policy and let in foreign investors into the fertilizer field. Lastly its action in holding up food shipments until recently was resented. These resentments originating from non-Governmental sources have, it is believed by U.S. officials, been reflected in Delhi’s own attitude to Washington.
Dictionary of biographies
A ‘dictionary of biographies of Indian nationalist leaders,’ the first of its kind in the country, will be published by the Institute of Historical Studies, Calcutta, at the end of next year. Dr. S.P. Sen, Director of the Institute, told Pressmen here [Mysore] on December 31 that the five-year project was taken up for execution in 1963 and explained that the dictionary would contain biographies of about 1,200 leaders ‘who led or influenced or inspired others’ during the period between the beginning of the 19th century and 1947. The dictionary would be in three volumes of about 850 pages each. He said that biographies of over 950 leaders had already been prepared. Dr. Sen stated that the project was estimated to cost over Rs. 4.5 lakhs and a sum of about Rs. 3 lakhs had been so far collected. He hoped that the Central and State Governments and institutions in the country would help resolve the crisis which was developing due to lack of funds.
