Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 7
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today made a fervent appeal to the Centre as well as the Naga groups to hasten the peace process. In his budget speech, the chief minister said solution is possible only through ‘mutual understanding of each other’s position and through a spirit of accommodation’.
He maintained that both parties must be prepared to move away from their respective rigid stands. On this, Rio urged the Naga groups to listen to the voice of the people and to stop bloodshed and all forms of extortion. He also called upon the Naga leaders to start thinking and act as Naga leaders and not as tribal or factional leaders so that the common Naga cause can be effectively and collectively moved forward.
Acknowledging the efforts of civil society and the church towards bringing about peace and harmony in the Nagas’ land, he advised them to seize the opportunity offered by the current ceasefire situation and take forward the Naga political issue to its logical conclusion. He, however, cautioned that if they fail to seize and utilize the moment collectively, they may never get such an opportune time again.
