DIMAPUR, January 28 (MExN): The United Naga Council (UNC), while upholding democratic principles, has reminded the Government of India (GoI) of its promise of a fifth round of tripartite talks for an alternative arrangement for the Nagas in Manipur outside the Government of Manipur (GoM) pending settlement of the Indo-Naga issue to be held at a venue in the hill districts of Manipur. The GoI, according to the letter, is expected to respond to this call on or before February 17.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India, and appended to the Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Ministry of Home Affairs Jt. Secretary (North East) Shambhu Singh, the UNC referred to the fourth round of tripartite talks of the GoI, GoM and the UNC on its demand for an alternative arrangement at Delhi on August 31, 2012 that concluded with a pronouncement by the GoI that the next round of talks would be held very soon.
The UNC also expressed concern that the Indo-Naga issue is being delayed having been subject to the “approval of a state of the Union which is not a party to the process”. This delay, stated the UNC, is “enthusing the GoM and communal forces that informs its decisions and policies to adopt more communal strategies”.
The UNC, represented by its President L. Adani and General Secretary Gaidon Kamei, also referred to the last few memorandums that have been sent to the Centre. On November 27, 23 Naga frontal organizations and constituent tribe units had urged the GoI for an “early and honourable” settlement of the Indo-Naga political issue and also drawn its attention to “certain groups” that were adopting postures “without any historical or political basis in connivance with the communal GoM with the intention of disturbing the Indo-Naga peace process”.
On December 23 last year, another memorandum was sent to the GoI seeking immediate intervention on “the communal onslaught on the Nagas in Manipur by the dominant community of Imphal valley, the Imphal valley based militants and the communal GoM”.
This was in reference to the reaction of Imphal-based organizations to the reported manhandling of actress Momoko in Chandel on December 21. The UNC described the latter as “a localized incident which had no political or communal implication has been exploited and blown out of proportion. The intention for the same is…to disturb the impending settlement of the Indo-Naga issue by whipping up communal response from the Imphal valley.”
Reiterating that the Nagas are not communal as “ours is a political issue”, the UNC wished for a peaceful “parting of ways” with the GoM and the “securing of good neighbourliness for all times to come”.
Despite these memorandums, the GoI has not intervened to prevent a full scale communal conflict in Manipur, which will be then held “responsible for any unfortunate turn of events arising out of this situation”.
In this light, the GoI has been requested by the UNC to communicate a date for the fifth tripartite talks on or before February 17 “so that the democratic process of dialogue initiated by the GoI is brought to its logical conclusion”. If this is “disrespected” by the GoI through inaction and no response, stated the UNC, it will take up its own course of action protesting the same.
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