Kohima, May 13 (NEPS): The Leader of the Opposition I Imkong has clarified that the DAN Government had never approached the Congress Party officially to discuss sending an all-party team from Nagaland to Delhi for taking up the “burning issue of the Indo-Naga political problem with the top Indian leaderships.”
Earlier, there had been reports in a section of the local press that an all-party team led by State Home Minister Thenucho would be heading for Delhi to pressurize the top Indian leaderships to expedite the peace process between the Government of India and the Naga underground leaders. It was earlier maintained that the “Congress will be represented by Opposition leader I Imkong and three other senior MLAs of the Opposition bench.” Reacting strongly to the statement, the leader of the Opposition, in a statement issued here today, categorically made it clear that the DAN Government had never approached the Congress Party officially to discuss about sending an all-party team from the State to Delhi. As such the question of participation by the Congress did not arise, he explained. He, however, pointed out that the Congress was not “against the DAN Government in working together if it is for the cause of the Naga people” he added that “We are prepared to work together if right initiative is taken up in proper manner”.
Imkong, who is also the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader, termed as “unfortunate” the media report as it seemed to be the handiwork of some “vested interest to create misunderstanding and confusion among the political parties as well as people.”
He also said the reconciliation and unity process initiated during the Congress regime had collapsed due to the DAN’s policy of “equi-closeness.” The Congress Party from the very beginning warned the DAN Chief Minister against his partisan policy of going closer to a particular underground group at a time when all sections of Naga people should work for bringing different groups to a common platform, the Leader of the Opposition said. He further reminded that it was the Congress party that urged the then Indian Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao to accept the Naga problem as both political and national. As such, for the first time, Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister announced at a public rally at Dimapur on 22nd February 1993 that the “Naga problem was political as well as national.”
During the NDA Government at the Center, the Peace Process started in bureaucratic level, however under the Congress leadership, the present UPA Government had upgraded the talks to a “political level,” Imkong reminded. Imkong also expressed surprise as to how Home Minister Thenucho was thinking to lead such a delegation when his own district, Phek, has become the “hotbed of factional killings,” and also what kind of “message he would be giving to the Government of India.” Appealing to the people not to be misled or confused by such misinformation, Imkong said the Indian National Congress had been consistent with its policy towards finding a durable and acceptable solution to the vexed Naga problem.
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