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North East : Naga peace process : Talks still at preparatory phase, says PM |
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told a Naga delegation that the ongoing talks with the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) are still at the preparatory phase, disappointing those expecting a final settlement between Delhi and the militant group soon.
“The Prime Minister expressed concern over the issues we raised. He said the talks were still at the preliminary stage and both sides were gradually getting to know each other,” said I. Imkong, leader of the Opposition in Nagaland.
Imkong is part of the 14-member Congress delegation that is on a visit to the capital.
Singh’s comment on the peace parleys came close on the heels of the NSCN (I-M) leadership expressing ‘regret’ over the tardy progress of the negotiations.
‘The Prime Minister also said substantive issues have not been seriously discussed yet. But he was keen to arrive at a settlement soon,’ said Nagaland PCC president Hokheto Sumi, who is leading the 14-member delegation.
The Congress delegation submitted a memorandum to Singh, highlighting their concern over the recent clashes between the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang groups. The Congress members said the recent killings were the fallout of policies pursued by the Neiphiu Rio-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government.
The delegation claimed that much of the bloodshed could have been avoided had the ceasefire monitoring cell enforced the ground rules of the ceasefire ‘strictly’. They made a case for urgent steps to give the panel more teeth.
“There ought to be more transparency in the peace process. Nobody knows what’s going on, but the people have a right to know,” Sumi said.
Copies of the memorandum were also submitted to Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Union Home Minister. The memorandum seeks a boundary commission for solving the state’s boundary dispute with Assam, an investigation into the financial irregularities of the Neiphiu Rio government, a CBI probe into issuance of fake gun licences in the state and accommodation of party workers in central public sector units and commissions.
Commenting on the progress of the talks, NSCN(IM) said the talks have entered a “crucial stage.”
“Despite differences on the part of the Government of India, we are trying our best to go ahead with the peace process,” said special emissary to the collective Naga leadership, V.S. Atem.
“So far, the talks have been held in a cordial environment and we are ready for the next round,” he added.
The next round of talks is scheduled to begin on April 18. The NSCN delegation was expected to arrive in Delhi on Saturday. There is no change in the team of negotiators on either side. The NSCN delegation is expected to meet the Central ministerial team on Monday, headed by Minister of State for Statistics & Programme Implementation Oscar Fernandes. Minister of State Prithiviraj Chauhan, S Raghuati are the other members of the negotiating team.
Naga rivalry
The NSCN leaders who arrived in India in December last year for talks with the Government have been meeting a cross-section of the Indian political leadership and held several meetings with members of the Naga society to assess the impact of their visit back home after more than four decades and to get a feel of the reactions to their talks with the Centre.
The NSCN (IM) has alleged that some organisations in Nagaland and in the neighbouring north-eastern states are trying to derail the talks by tarnishing NSCN (IM)’s image. The organisation’s top spokesperson in Nagaland, Kraibo Chawang, has alleged that various “anti-social” organisations in Nagaland and the neighbouring states opposed to the peace process are trying to derail it by tarnishing the NSCN (I-M)’s image.” By and large, talks between the two sides have been welcomed as a much-needed respite from decades of insurgency.
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