Newmai News Network
Senapati | July 24
Naga organisations in the State of Manipur have petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to intervene and put the Naga peace process on the “right track”. They also expressed serious concerns on the recent happenings including the killings of 6 NSCN-IM cadres in Arunachal Pradesh by the security forces.
United Naga Council (UNC), Naga Women Union (NWU), Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights-South (NPMHR-S) and All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), in their joint memorandum to the Prime Minister of India, said that Government of India’s interlocutor for Naga peace talks, RN Ravi, had the best opportunity of winning the hearts and minds of the Naga people after the Framework Agreement was signed but that did not happen. “After the Framework Agreement was signed, the Interlocutor Mr. R.N. Ravi had the best opportunity of winning the hearts and minds of Naga people. Nagas believed him and appreciated his accessibility and pragmatic approach. But the present trend of talk seems to be going out of track,” the memorandum also said.
The four Naga organisations then said that they were petitioning even at this time of “unprecedented crisis” due to COVID-19, and expressed their immense appreciation to the Prime Minister for his “dynamic leadership in handling the COVID-19 pandemic”. However, “with a grave sense of urgency and apprehension on the manner in which the Indo-Naga political dialogue is being conducted, we request your personal intervention to put the peace process on the right track in resolving one of the longest political issues in the Indian sub-continent,” the joint memorandum added.
“We feel the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement and your vision for a peaceful and honourable political settlement with the Nagas is not visible in the Government of India’s representative at the negotiation table,” it said.
The memorandum referred to the Nagaland Governor’s letter to the Chief Minister of Nagaland which termed the “aged-old Naga national organisations” as “armed gangs.” It alleged that this was an attempt to “bulldoze the Indo-Naga political issue as a mere law and order problem.” It requested the PM to bring the Indo-Naga political talk to its logical conclusion at the earliest based on the unique history and situation of the Nagas.
