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North East : Centre-NSCN (IM) peace talks : Rival factions allege secret understanding |
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As a crucial round of peace talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) nears (Jan.15), the militant outfit is facing stiff opposition from rival factions over its alleged secret understanding with the Centre.
Clashes between the factions in the hills are intermittent, but the real war is taking place on the pages of the mushrooming local dailies. Rivals NSCN (Khaplang) and the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), the militant arm of the Naga National Council (NNC), have accused the NSCN (I-M) of making secret proposals to Delhi and compromising on sovereignty.
The criticism revolves around a controversial booklet, Naga-inhabited Area, circulated in Nagaland, which, the NSCN (I-M) says, is a propaganda by intelligence agencies. The booklet, which first surfaced during the “Naga integration rally” on August 31 last year, claims formation of a people’s council and two autonomous councils of Zeliangrong and Konyak tribal regions.
Its distribution was quickly stopped by the organisers, but the controversy refuses to die down. Strangely, the book had a preface by “senior citizens” of Nagaland claiming that the contents of the book were being distributed as propaganda by Indian intelligence agencies.
While security forces have not reacted to the allegations, the Khaplang faction of the NSCN has alleged that the NSCN (I-M) has made “secret proposals” to New Delhi.
The Khaplang faction’s leader, B. Ngampan Konyak, alleged that the “secret proposals” were submitted in the form of a memorandum to the Centre in February 2005. Konyak alleged that the proposals asked for an administrative system for “Naga-inhabited areas” of Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland without physically merging the Naga areas with two tiers of legislatures.
The NSCN (I-M) has been demanding integration of Naga areas in these four states while the NSCN (K) is against it. The Khaplang group leader also described various deadlines mentioned in the booklet, the final one being March 2007 to make a “Naga-inhabited area” operational.
Qhevihe Chishi Swu, convener of the NSCN (I-M)’s steering committee, condemned the booklet and alleged that it was aimed at discrediting the peace process.
The NSCN (I-M)’s six-month ceasefire agreement expires on January 31. Before that, a crucial round of talks will be held in Bangkok on January 15.
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