In the backdrop of media reports that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with other Congress leaders including UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi would be coming to Nagaland for the purpose of campaigning for the coming February 23 Assembly Election, the Naga Students Federation (NSF) has prepared a memorandum addressed to the PM. Perhaps for the Indian National Congress led by Sonia Gandhi this is a good time to let the Naga people know about the fifteen year plus political dialogue between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India. Of these fifteen years, the Congress led UPA government has been at the helm of affairs for two consecutive terms and therefore both the Congress President and the Prime Minister must take the responsibility of informing the Naga public with greater clarity on how it is going to bring about the long talked about political settlement to the Naga issue. In this regard, the NSF has done the right thing to write to the PM in advance. In short the NSF wants the PM to “declare to the Nagas in black and white the progress made so far through the sincere efforts of the Government of India in resolving the vexed Indo-Naga political process”. This is not something that is so difficult or sensitive for the PM not to respond to. Hopefully the PM and the Congress top brass, who will be visiting Nagaland for the election campaign, will come prepared to answer to the call of the Naga people.
The other thing the PM should also clarify to the Naga people is whether it was really necessary to conduct Assembly Election (now slated for February 23, 2013) when an overwhelming number of people including all political parties and mass based organizations had called for deferment of election in favour of an early political solution. The PM must make known the rationale for going ahead with the election even though Delhi has also made known that a solution is near. Now with elections going to take place and a newly elected government to be formed, does it mean that a political settlement is going to be delayed indefinitely? Nagas need to know the answer to this question as well. And what about the assurance given by the PM that the Naga issue will be settled within the present tenure of the Congress led UPA government? Of course there could be valid reasons why all the talk of a pending settlement could not be done as was expected. However it is precisely this that the Congress led UPA government has failed to communicate to the Naga people why a solution has been delayed. The visit of the PM Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is perhaps the most opportune time to set the records straight on a lot of questions. Naga people are in the dark about all this talk of settlement. They want honest answers and not election induced political promises.
