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In what has given a fresh ray of hope for resolution of the Naga dispute, the NSCN (I-M) and Naga National Political Groups or NNPGs have decided to form a common body to carry forward negotiations.
While there had been talks ongoing for cooperation and coordination between the two key Naga stakeholders for some time, the contours of the common body – to be known as the Council of Naga Relationships and Cooperation – were worked out at a two-day meeting held recently in Kolkata. The key mandate of the group, the two parties said, would be finding “realistic” ways for the talks to move forward, and find an “acceptable” resolution “on the basis of Naga historical and political rights”.
A statement issued after the Kolkata meeting, by NNPGs Convenor N Kitovi Zhimoni and NSCN (I-M) vice-president Tongmeth Wangnao, said the common body was being formed “taking forward the September Joint Accordant’s resolve”. Urging the Naga people to participate in and support “the shared responsibility of building a Naga future”, the statement said: “Understanding the urgency to rise above our present condition, the NNPGs and the NSCN are committing ourselves to the values of Truth, Forgiveness, Justice, and Peace as the discerning power to help us choose a shared future over the divisions of the past.”
The Joint Accordant, signed on September 14 this year by NSCN (I-M) and NNPG leaders, pledged to work together “in the spirit of love”, and resolved to desist from all forms of armed violence, as well as “violence of words” through print and social media. Aware of the differences between them, the two sides said, they would guard against rifts that could further divide them.
Among those who welcomed the formation of the common body is the former Nagaland ruling party Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF). Calling the decision bold, the NPF said the Naga citizens’ “earnest prayer for unity and reconciliation is finally being answered by our Almighty God”.
Calling the development “a red letter day for the Naga people”, the NPF, one of the oldest surviving regional political parties in Northeast India, added that the Naga people had been yearning for peace for long and urged the Central government to expedite an early solution.
Stalled since May, the Naga talks have seen a glimmer of hope since last month, with NSCN (I-M) leaders visiting Delhi in September to resume negotiations.
The talks had been mainly stalled on account of the NSCN (I-M) leadership expressing dissatisfaction at the way negotiations had been held by two interlocutors – R N Ravi and, after him, A K Mishra.
The NSCN (I-M) has been in a dialogue with the government since 1997, when it announced ceasefire. Separately, in 2017, the Centre opened talks with the NNPGs.
The talks are currently being held as per a Framework Agreement signed with the NSCN (I-M) by the Narendra Modi government, amidst much fanfare, on August 3, 2015. This agreement was signed after 80 rounds of talks.
The Central government’s official deadline for peace talks expired on October 31, 2019, without any accord signed, following which the NSCN (I-M) had a falling out with Ravi. Mishra was brought in as interlocutor in January 2020. Later the same year, Ravi was later transferred out as Nagaland Governor.
The main sticking point from the Naga side remains a debate over the flag. The Centre has offered to accept the flag only as a cultural symbol, but the NSCN (I-M) has declined this, saying: “The Naga issue is not a cultural issue that the Government of India should change the Naga flag as a cultural symbol and forego the Naga political identity as symbolised by the Naga flag.”
The rebel group also squarely rejected the Centre’s proposal of post-facto resolution of issues pertaining to the Naga flag and Naga Constitution, after signing of the peace agreement. The NSCN (I-M) said: “The NSCN cannot drag the Naga people to make another blunder by falling into the trap being machinated by the Government of India.”
