Dimapur, August 12 (MExN): Governor of Odisha and former Nagaland State Chief Minister, Dr SC Jamir today stated that “a great reconciliation and a permanent settlement to the decades old Naga political problem stares at everyone’s face.”
In a public statement released to the media today, Jamir said the Naga people need to reconcile with the political, economic, social and cultural realities of the world. “They have to first set their house in order by reconciling among themselves. No other external agencies but the Government of India alone can bail out the Nagas from their predicaments. There should not be any illusion about this reality,” he stated.
Regarding the Framework Agreement signed between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India (GoI), Jamir stated that “the landscape and texture of Naga polity would be determined by the framework agreement, provided it is mandated by the people.” He however stated that “no attempt to find a solution to the long-standing Naga problem can be successful unless all sections of the people in the State were taken on board.”
The Odisha Governor further put forward certain suggestions to be considered. Regarding the differing opinions on ownership and transfer of land and its recourses between the state government and the centre, Jamir suggested that the latter adopt an accommodative position in the matter since it “has an emotional connect with the people of Nagaland.”
He also recommended general amnesty for the men in the underground and an honourable rehabilitation package for them as part of the final settlement. Their services may be best utilised by recruiting them in special battalions of any of the paramilitary forces.
Other suggestions put forward included greater representation of the Nagas in Parliament, with two members each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha; a Pan Naga League and under it a Tribal Research and Cultural Centre with full Central assistance located in Dimapur.
He further stated that poor infrastructure and idle manpower are two most important factors that stand in the way of all round development of Nagaland. These cannot be tackled with the current level of funding, including Central assistance, available with the State Government, he stated, and therefore suggested that as part of the final settlement of the Naga problem, GoI constitute an Expert Group under the Niti Ayog to recommend a special economic package for the State to overcome the problems of poor infrastructure and unemployment.
He then said that the effects of India’s Act East Policy and its implications for the North East and Nagaland should also be taken into account while working out a final settlement of the Naga issue.
