More states at table for Naga peace

The group, including Minister of State for Home S. Regupathy and Minister of State in PMO Prithviraj Chavan, had already discussed the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this month, and briefed him on the developments in the dialogue process. ‘‘Substantial progress has been made in talks with the NSCN (I-M) leaders,’’ Fernandes said, adding that it was now imperative to involve the other affected states.

The dialogue process between the Centre and Isak Chisi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah of the NSCN(I-M) had hit a dead end for quite some time over the issue of Greater Nagaland or ‘Nagalim’.

The NSCN leaders had been insistent on their demand for unification of Naga inhabited areas, many of which were a part of the neighbouring states.

Sources said that it was a ‘‘limited option negotiation’’ and the talks were heading nowhere without a discussion on Greater Nagaland. ‘‘The impasse has to be broken,’’ sources said.

The proposed ‘Nagalim’ includes parts of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar Hills district, Golaghat, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Jorhat in Assam; Temenglong, Senapati, Ukhrul and Chandel in Manipur; and Dibang Valley, Lohit, Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

The NSCN leaders had been putting forth their argument for a Greater Nagaland very logically, and the government could do little but to take note, sources said.

Muivah and Swu, apparently came armed with the 2001 census figures, showing the Naga population in the adjoining states and pushed for their integration.

Ukhrul had 83 per cent Naga population, Tamenglong had 78 per cent, Senapati and Tirap had 54.5 and 78.6 per cent Naga population respectively. ‘‘They have been making their case strongly and it was becoming difficult for the government to counter it,’’ sources added.

The government had been maintaining that any change in the boundaries of the state needed to be with political consensus. In fact, that was the stand also taken by the earlier NDA government.

Senior leader walks out of NSCN(IM)

Kohima: Issac-Muivah faction of the NSCN has received a major setback after a senior leader defected to its rival group, accusing the outfit of “diluting Naga cause” in the name of the ongoing peace process.

A.Z. Zami, a steering committee member of the outfit, defected to nscn (K) alleging that there was lack of transparency in the peace talks between the leadership and the Centre. —PTI