Nagaland Governor To Meet Church Leaders Amid Discontent Over Peace Talks

Nagaland Governor RN Ravi will meet regional church leaders and civil society representatives in state capital Kohima on Friday amid rising discontent over the slow progress in the Naga peace talks. Representatives of 14 Naga tribes from the northeastern state and the United Naga Council from neighbouring Manipur will be among those attending it.

Mr Ravi, who is also the interlocutor in the ongoing negotiations, will hold the meeting close on the heels of another interaction between him and the Thuingaleng Muivah-led NSCN(I-M) in New Delhi on October 10.

The NSCN (I-M) has indicated on several occasions that the centre was not heeding to its demands, including those for a separate flag and constitution. Similar complaints have been raised by other stakeholders in the state too.

The Naga Hoho - a top body of Naga tribes - rejected a three-month deadline sought by the centre to finalise the peace deal on Sunday. It also maintained that any accord that does not honour the Nagas' legitimate rights for integration, separate Naga flag and constitution was "neither honourable nor acceptable to the Nagas".

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the NSCN (I-M) had recently underscored its "dissatisfaction" with the manner in which peace talks have been progressing ever since the framework for a final settlement was signed on August 3, 2015. "Both the parties have been patiently negotiating for the past 22 years and we are committed to working out an honourable solution. However, recent changes and developments have created confusion and doubt in the minds of the people," it read.

The Naga group also claimed in the letter that successive prime ministers had promised to hold talks at the "highest level" over the years, but did not follow through. The letter, which was also forwarded to RN Ravi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urged PM Modi to do things differently this time round.