Dimapur, September 7 (MExN): Nagaland Home Minister Imkong Imchen today made a significant statement that the Naga political problem should be discussed with openness and without fear. In a statement today Imchen echoed the popular but unspoken trepidation of the people about openly discussing an issue as touchy as the Naga “political” problem.
The Home minister issued a statement today in response to criticism of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee earlier that he had ‘completely gone out of track’ on the Naga political issue. The NPCC had accused him of making statements a constitutionally instated leader was not expected to make. He was criticized for saying that the political talks were ‘outside the constitution of India.’
Responding to the criticisms, the Home minister said in particular that political parties should broach the topic without fear. “According to me, the Naga political issue has to be discussed and shared by every political party as well as leaders with sincerity and with openness without any fear or favor but with seriousness and determination,” Imchen said. The Home minister said the political parties and leaders ‘do not contribute much of their ideas and proposals to the expected level.’
He was of the opinion that every political party in Nagaland “especially during election” publishes a manifesto committing to the Naga people and the Naga political issue and a solution to it. “However, after the election results are over they do not kept their commitments as per their manifesto” the minister said in his urging to discuss the issue without fear or favor.
Imchen also clarified to the criticism of the Congress about his contextualizing the Naga talks as being held ‘outside the parameters of the constitution of India.’ He said the political talks are currently ‘going on’ outside the parameters of the constitution of India exploring ‘as to how and what are the items to be agreed upon by both the parties.’
“Only after such decisions arrived at, it shall be legislated in the Parliament and incorporated in the constitution of India. The talk about within and outside the constitution of India at this point of time is totally premature and unrealistic,” minister Imchen stated. It was for this reason, Imchen stated, that he had said that the talks were ‘going on’ outside the constitution of India ‘only to be incorporated later on when agreed by both the parties. ‘…There is nothing wrong of what I have stated on that day as far as constitutional propriety is concerned,’ he added.
The Home minister then took a jib at the NPCC demanding his stepping down from the state chair over the remark. He said the Congress’ demand is “quite natural,” on the part of the NPCC to “ask resignation, step-down, dismiss etc.” “Perhaps I will not disappoint them for not resigning from the Council of Minister,” he quipped in response to the NPCC.
