In Talks With Centre, Naga Group Requests For Meeting With PM

After a long break, the Centre resumed talks with insurgent group NSCN IM in an effort to find a permanent solution to the decades-old problem.

"The stage is set to take forward the talks, a process that seems to have been put on the back burner in October 2019," a senior functionary in the ministry of home affairs stated.

The NSCN-IM delegation, led by senior leader VS Atem, met interlocutor AK Mishra in New Delhi.

"The NSCN-IM delegation has requested the interlocutor to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," disclosed a senior functionary.

According to him, the participants discussed the rebel group's core demands, including a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas.

However, the dialogue remained inconclusive and is likely to resume on Thursday.

As per sources, the top leader of the group, Thuingaleng Muivah, did not take part in this round of the meeting.

On Tuesday, in its mouthpiece 'Nagalim Voice', the NSCN-IM again reiterated its demand for unification of Naga-inhabited areas for the Nagas and a separate flag and these are "non-negotiable".

But the Centre has opposed this demand saying that it will have implications in other states. "This demand related to the greater "Nagalim", made by the NSCN(I-M) apart from other rebels would have implications in other States, and this has complicated negotiations," explains an official privy to ongoing negotiations.

According to him, now that talks have resumed again, it is being hoped that both the Centre and NSCN(I-M) will review what went wrong since the Framework Agreement was reached in 2015.

The framework agreement was signed on August 3, 2015, in presence of the prime minister to hammer out a permanent solution to the Naga issue.

In fact, in its editorial, the NSCN-IM also said it is "ironic" to point out that the Prime Minister "who loves to advertise" his achievements" is expected to take the Naga issue to its logical conclusion as the stalled "Indo-Naga talks" pick up the threads with focus on framework agreement and formulated papers.

The group said he "cannot simply shy away" from the Naga issue but have a relook through the prism of a framework agreement which is his "own political brainchild".

"The credit he has taken in bringing about FA (framework agreement) should be unerringly interpreted to take forward in solving Naga issue," the editorial said.

The Centre's stance has also been based on inputs it got from Nagaland's neighbouring states - Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh - they all have been vehemently opposed to the idea of unification of Naga inhabited areas under their jurisdictions.

"Inter-ethnic relations in North East states have always been volatile so the Centre also has to keep in mind while negotiating a way forward," explains an official adding that any agreement between the Centre and NSCN IM has to be done without changing the boundaries of existing states.

Separately, the government is also holding peace parleys with splinter groups of the NSCN after entering into ceasefire agreements.

The groups which have entered into ceasefire agreements are NSCN-NK, NSCN-R, NSCN K-Khango and NSCN (K) Niki.

The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough made in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after India's independence in 1947.