Pinaki Bhattacharya
Prospects for lasting peace in Nagaland are threatened even before the government at New Delhi and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isaac-Muivah) reaches a settlement through the ongoing negotiations. People of the eastern districts of Mon and Tuensang are believed to be planning for a separation from a future Nagaland state. Instead they are expected to demand a union territory status or even for a full-scale statehood.
This will deal a body blow to the demand for full integration of the Naga inhabited areas of the northeastern region, made by the NSCN (I-M). Knowledgeable sources say that the members of the backward Konyak tribe who live in these districts are bent on severing their relations with a future political dispensation led by the Tangkhul tribe dominated NSCN (I-M). Mr Niengulo Krome, General Secretary of the Naga Hoho – largest and the most prominent non governmental organisation (NGO) of the Nagas – says: “Konyaks feel totally marginalized in the overt political arena by the Ao tribe and in ‘underground’ politics, by the Tangkhuls.”
Another element in this developing crisis is the Konyak identity of Mr SS Khaplang of the NSCN (Khaplang) group, who is based in south west Myanmar. Intelligence sources in Kohima say that they were driven out of these districts, bordering Myanmar in 2003 by the NSCN (I-M). But now they are back in the reckoning. They are also using the delay in reaching a settlement at the negotiations between the NSCN (I-M) and the Union government to their advantage.
These sources point out that the emotions are running high in neighbouring Manipur where the Meiteis are bent on resorting to violent protests if the Naga inhabited hilly areas of the state are separated and attached to a future Nagaland as demanded.
Knowledgeable sources thus say that the Union government will require a strong political will and a desire to bear stiff political costs to agree to the demands of the Nagas. A coalition government of the United Progressive Alliance may find it difficult to manage the apprehensions of its constituents and its allies, the left parties. Left parties like the CPI had won seats at the Manipur legislative assembly polls. And they may be unwilling to alienate the majority Meitei community of the state.
On the other hand, the main Opposition, the BJP will surely criticise any settlement reached by the UPA government on account of the integrity of India.
These worries may be constraining the Manmohan Singh government from reaching a settlement. Even though the Nagas are clearly restive at the delay.
(As reported in Mathrubhumi, a National Daily in Malyalam)
