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Journalism of Courage
The NSCNs commitment to the Constitution may end one of the oldest insurgencies in the Northeast
The Naga insurgency,almost as old as the Union of India itself,might be nearing its end. While it may be premature to hope before the deed is done,the written commitment from the Nscn IM that it is going to accept the India Constitution in other words,offer its allegiance to the Indian Union is a significant breakthrough. The NSCNIM is reportedly also amenable to the idea of not redrawing state boundaries in the Northeast for the sake of peace. The ball is once again in the Centres court,as the NSCN will wait for the deliberations with the governments of Assam,Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur by which New Delhi will try to work out a special set of rights for Nagas in these neighbouring states.
The benchmark settlement remains the Mizo Accord of 1986,an object lesson for tackling insurgencies across India. Whether imitable or not,the Mizo Accord ended 30 years of the Mizo insurgency,and by 2008,Mizoram was recording 70 per cent turnout in elections. If the Naga issue resolves in peace in the near future,it would positively impact neighbouring states too,particularly strife-torn Manipur,and speed up infrastructure and connectivity projects in the Northeast vital to economic growth in the landlocked and underdeveloped region.
