Union Home Minister Amit Shah had a meeting with Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Leader of the Opposition T.R. Zeliang in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the Naga peace pact that may be finalised soon.
Mr. Rio later met National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) chief Thuingaleng Muivah, who has been camping in Delhi since July after refusing to hold any dialogue with Naga interlocutor R.N. Ravi.
Mr. Shah is learnt to have asked Mr. Zeliang to rejoin the Joint Legislators’ Forum and endorse the “one solution” resolution of the Naga political issue signed by over 150 civil society groups and individuals on October 15.
In November 2017, the Centre had created the Forum, comprising all the 60-members of the Nagaland Assembly, to assist the Naga peace process.
Mr. Zeliang is also the leader of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), the chief Opposition party that had walked out of the Forum in August due to “huge trust deficit”.
Peace talks in trouble
The peace talks hit a rough weather in August after Mr. Muivah refused to hold any dialogue with Mr. Ravi, who is also the State Governor. A team of Intelligence Bureau officials was deputed to hold the discussions with the NSCN(I-M). Mr. Ravi and the NSCN(I-M) signed a framework agreement on August 3, 2015, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The NSCN(I-M) has been demanding a separate constitution and a flag for the Nagas and the assimilation of all Naga inhabited areas in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. In 2017, Mr. Ravi included more Naga groups in the dialogue process and signed a preamble with the seven Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs). Mr. Ravi continues the negotiations with the NNPG.
The NNPG issued a statement on Tuesday, accusing the NSCN(I-M) of delaying the talks.
“After 23 years of political talks, when a negotiator declares that Nagas do not accept the Union of India or the Indian Constitution, it could only mean political dialogue was a circus exercise for personal gains. The much touted FA [framework] agreement of 2015, by the very utterance, becomes invalid. Whether an emotional outburst or otherwise, the organisation owes an explanation to the Naga people. It reeks of a despotic, incoherent, unreliable and anti-people character and mind,” said N. Kitovi Zhimomi, convener, NNPG, said in a statement.
