The ceasefire and the talks held between the various underground (UG) factions and the Government of India (GOI) is a lie, a facade, a fiction that things are progressing in the right direction, that it’s just a matter of time, that we just have to be a little patient, that the ball is in their court. The solution to the Naga talks has become another addition to the rich folklore, a myth. As things stand now, i am a hundred per cent sure, that this a deception will continue because there are profits to be made, crores of rupees to be precise at the expense of the common people.
State politicians:
The state political leaders want insurgency to continue, so they can continue demanding huge funds and concessions from the central government (and the added bonus not being held accountable for the funds) and, at the same time, the ceasefire to never end, so as to have a relatively calm environment to continue looting the state of its one and only resource: the Funds and Grants from the GOI. And, in the insurgents, they have a ready-made scapegoat to blame for the inability of the state to progress in case, there are observers from the Centre. And, the Naga issue can be useful in election campaigns, to increase their votes by playing on the emotion of the common public who still dreams of a “free” Nagaland. So, if you were a politician in a state called Nagaland, would you want insurgency with all its perks and benefits to end?
The various Underground factions:
The numerous UG factions are running a parallel government to the state government with no interference from the state or the Centre (in fact, everybody seems to be trying to outdo each other to get into their good graces). At the moment, they are virtual dictators or to be more correct, warlords with their own little fiefdoms, where their word is the law. And, it looks like the signing of the ceasefire agreement has emboldened them and given their illegal activities some kind of an official nod. Now they can officially tax everything under the sun, involve in all shady business deals etc etc. We can see the bosses of the UGs openly driving around in the latest SUVs, sedans , living in palatial buildings , sending their sons and daughters to the top colleges in India (but I am not in any way suggesting that they do all this with our hard-earned money or all their wealth are through illegal, manipulative ways. Who in their right mind would suggest that?). They already have their “sovereignty” literally running the state with no checks or balances to their power ( In fact, for them, its much better than ruling over an independent country, where there will be certain fixed limitations on what they can do). So, if you were a boss of a UG faction, would you want the Naga talks to come to some sort of a conclusion (where life won’t be as luxurious or as it is now) or the ceasefire to end and go back to the leech-infested jungle surviving on boiled rice alone?
The bureaucrats and official heads of the state:
The bureaucrats and the heads of the various state departments would never want a solution to the Naga issue. Why??? Because they can cite the insurgency with all its taxation and demands and its poking its nose in everything as a reason for their incompetencies and half-hearted, shoddy developmental works. They can also in the mean time in collaboration or citing the UGs continue skimming off the state developmental funds, indulge in nepotism and virtually divert all state monies into their bank accounts. So, if you were a bureaucrat in the state of Nagaland, would you kill your own golden goose?
The Government of India (GOI):
The GOI knows that it can never end the Naga insurgency through military operations, and at the same time it doesn’t want to lose face in the international arena, so what do they do? Broker a kind of behind-the-scene deals with the various UG factions to keep peace, and financially support them as well, so they won’t be tempted to go back to the jungle. What the GOI want is a revolutionary group with no fire and one which would always be contented in their own designated camps (or mindlessly fighting each other just to while away their free time), or doesn’t completely violate the ceasefire agreement, so they can continue telling the world that talks are being held, that solution isn’t far away, that everything is fine in this hilly state. So, if you were the GOI, would you want to disturb the present status quo where everything is going your way?
Conclusion:
So, what we have is a curious but not surprising case, where none of the main parties whose voice matters (apart from the common public) in the untangling of the Naga political future is not even remotely interested in solving it. The student leaders and executives of the various NGO bodies in the state see themselves as future politicians and use their present position as stepping-stones to the state political arena, so they don’t in any way talk about the corruptions of the state government or the illegal and undemocratic acts of the UGs (whose immoral support he would need in his future election campaign), so as not to jeopardise his political career. And the crème de la crème of the Naga society wants insurgency along with the cease fire to continue ad infinitum and carry on enjoying the benefits that it has brought along. And the common people are too immersed in their struggle to get a job, to eat, to survive, to either care or think about its long term implication. Talks and never ending talks, cease fire never ceasing, life will continue as usual, as it has always been.
Kavi Swu
Nagarjan, Dimapur
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