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Nagaland : NSCN (IM) renews referendum call : Isak Chishi Swu growing impatient |
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Expressing growing signs of impatience over the pace of the peace talks, the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) has renewed its call for a referendum if the Centre failed to take steps to integrate the Naga areas.
A day later, on Independence Day, the Nagaland government, a facilitator in the peace talks, appealed for calm.
In a message on Naga independence day, the outfits chairman, Isak Chishi Swu, said the people can see the inability of the Centre to take bold steps to find a solution to the Naga problem.
Swu said the importance of integration had been explained to the Centre. In case the government of India cannot take concrete steps, the matter cannot be stopped there; it should be referred back to the Naga people for a referendum.
Chief Minister Rio calls for patience
Speaking on Independence Day, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said the peace process is a complex one and all concerned have to be patient and remain committed to the process of peaceful dialogue.
Rio, a staunch supporter of integration, appealed to the rebel groups to forget their differences and come together to catalyse a permanent solution.
Thanking the Congress-led UPA government, Rio asked the Centre to make an effort to infuse fresh momentum into the peace process. He said the people of the state have realised that there could be prosperity only when there is peace. The gun is not a solution to the Naga political problem, he said.
The Chief Minister’s hour-long speech, however, was devoid of rhetoric. Shorn of his earlier remarks on integration and the Naga political struggle, Rio’s speech had more patriotic fervour.
New Naga logo
In a related development which may cause some uneasiness in New Delhi, the Nagaland government adopted a new state logo on Independence Day, retaining only the mithun from an earlier design.
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