Nagaland chief minister, T.R. Zeliang on Wednesday made a fervent appeal to all the Naga Political Groups (NPGs) to deliberate, discuss and have more consultations on how best to solve the protracted Naga political problem.
This way, Zeliang said that “the sacrifices made by generations of Nagas including the present leaders may bear fruit for the future generations to harvest”.
He said this while addressing the Consultative Meeting of Nagaland Legislators’ Forum on Naga Political Issue (NLFNPI) along with various Naga Political Groups at Police Complex, Chumukedima, a press note from the CMO media cell stated.
Lamenting that Nagas had suffered for too long, Zeliang said: “We should not bequeath our children with an unsolved political problem… We must find a solution that is honourable, acceptable to all sections of the society.”
He felt that the more consultations are held with each on the issue, the better one would understand each other’s views and opinions.
“The Naga political problem is not a factional, tribal or any political party’s problem – it is a problem of all Nagas and therefore, we must all come together and put our heads together to find permanent peace in our area”, Zeliang said.
Without blaming or criticizing each other of who was right or wrong, Zeliang said it was time to point out what is right and what will be best for our Naga people as a whole.
“We, as elected representatives of the people, have sworn allegiance to the Constitution of India and therefore, we cannot take part in the negotiating table. And we have made it very clear to the Government of India that we can only facilitate early solution of the problem; we can only suggest; we can only ask that the interests of all are taken into consideration while bringing out a final solution,” he told the NPGs.
While not denying the fact that every political party’s stand (election manifesto) during election is for early solution to the Naga political if voted to power, Zeliang however said that the matter is kept in the back-burner once elections are over.
Zeliang however reminded that his government had taken up the issue with all seriousness and had sent a PWC delegation to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister, the Home Ministers and the Interlocutor RN Ravi in July 2015.
In February 2016, he said another PWC delegation met various national political party leaders and requested them for their support in the Parliament for an early solution that would be all-inclusive, honourable and acceptable to all sections of the Naga society.
He was optimistic that the government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sincere and determined to solve the Naga problem and pointed out that the Ravi enjoyed much more confidence of the Prime Minister than his predecessors.
Zeliang also told the gathering that the Union Home Minister had told them (PWC) that Ravi was entrusted not only to talk to the Naga people but also to solve the Naga problem.
“Future generations will praise us if we choose wisely and take timely decisions now,” he stated.
Appealing to the leaders of various NPGs to join hands and to seek an early solution to the vexed Naga issue, Zeliang cited the example of the present Legislative Assembly wherein all 60 legislators, despite having fiercely fought each other in the last elections, have come together under the umbrella of NPF for the sake of early solution.
He said that the PWC had made it clear to the Centre that Nagas “do not want piece-meal solution, but a one-time solution that is applicable to all Nagas regardless of where they live”.
The meeting was well-attended by representatives of three NNC groups (barring the Adino group) and GPRN/NSCN and Reformation groups, the media cell stated.