Nagaland's Ruling Alliance Hails Modi Support Amid Crucial Peace Talks

An important meeting of the PDA convened by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was held in Kohima on Wednesday.

In the meeting, a unanimous resolution was adopted, which said, “The House called upon the Government of India and the negotiating parties in the Indo-Naga peace process to undertake sincere measures to carry forward the ongoing dialogue to its logical conclusion. The House urged that the settlement must be negotiated in a manner that is honourable, inclusive and acceptable to the people.”

The resolution also warmly welcomed the decision of the Naga People's Front (NPF) to officially join the PDA and resolved to accept the NPF as a full-fledged partner of the alliance.

“The House further extended its appreciation to the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its guidance, support and positive decision in endorsing the inclusion of the NPF as a partner of the PDA,” the resolution stated.

Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and Leader of the BJP Legislature Party Yanthungo Patton, President of the Nagaland BJP Benjamin Yepthomi, NDPP Secretary General Abu Metha, Senior Vice President, NDPP, Rusemtong Longkumer, MLA and Secretary General, NPF Achumbemo Kikon, and President, NPF Apong Pongener attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Nagaland government recently urged the Centre to elevate the Naga peace talks to the highest political level by appointing an interlocutor of political or ministerial rank with the confidence and mandate of the government.

A spokesman of the Nagaland government earlier had said that the PAC headed by Chief Minister Rio resolved that the peace talks be resumed at the political level in order to expedite the negotiation process. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Chief Ministers T.R. Zeliang and Yanthungo Patton, other Ministers, Members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, advisors to the Chief Minister and other ministers, and MLAs.

He said that the PAC also reiterated the resolutions adopted during the Consultative Meeting held on September 12, 2024, in Kohima, with the participation of all stakeholders, including Tribal Hohos, representatives of civil societies, mass-based organisations, church bodies, NGOs, gazetted officers, unions, student bodies, and political parties.

The PAC appreciated the negotiating parties, including the Government of India and the Naga Political Groups, of the ongoing Naga Political dialogue for continuing to uphold the principles of the ceasefire agreements and ensuring that there is no breakdown of the talks despite facing several challenges and hurdles in the past two decades, the spokesman said.

A.K. Mishra, Advisor to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Northeast affairs so far held a series of talks with various Naga groups, including the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM).

Former Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi was the interlocutor in Naga peace talks before he took charge as Tamil Nadu Governor in September 2021. The Union government has been holding political negotiations with the NSCN-IM and other Naga groups since the signing of the ceasefire agreement in 1997, and also inked the vital Framework Agreement in 2015. The government also entered into parallel negotiations with the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (NNPG), an amalgamation of at least seven Naga factions, in 2017.

They signed the Agreed Position in November 2017, and the NSCN-IM has remained firm on its demand for a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas as well as integration of Naga-inhabited areas spread over four Northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, besides Myanmar. These demands were discarded by the government on a number of occasions.

- IANS