No matter how clandestinely one has the motive to undermine the pending Naga political issue settlement, it is the undeniable bone of contention that has been adversely impacting the Naga social and political life, the Naga individual life, and the State of Nagaland in particular. The spectacular retrogression in respect of the development and the economy of the State is the direct result of the long years of political negotiations between the Naga political negotiators and the Government of India under the existing ceasefire. There are ceasefires between the Government of India and the Naga political groups. Whereas, there is hardly any such ceasefire between the citizens of Nagaland and the Naga political groups in respect of the unabated multiple taxations on the gullible public. Kidnappings followed by ransoms, threats and intimidation, and the incessant harassment of the public by armed tax collectors have become a culture. Dimapur, once a thriving and fast-developing city, is today reduced to a dying city since it remained a haven of anti-social and anti-state elements for decades together to say the least.
With the above brief backdrop, the Concerned Naga Forum of Nagaland (CNFN), a recently established forum, has been ardent and harping on an early Naga political solution. As for the NSCN(IM), after 18 years of negotiation, the Framework Agreement was signed on 3rd August, 2015. Followed by the Agreed Posi¬tion signed between the Government of India and the Working Committee (WC) of NNPGs on 17th No¬vember, 2017 after many years of negotiation. Thus, the spade-work with the Naga negotiators being com¬pleted, the business of political negotiations with the Naga groups were brought to official closure on 31st October, 2019 during the time of the last Interlocutor, Mr. R.N. Ravi, who was the Governor of Nagaland too. The completion and closure of the political negotiations with its resultant Agreements were tabled in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), the 5th session of the 13th NLA dated Kohima, the 17th Janu¬ary, 2020 through the address of the Governor. Consequently, the House duly approved the Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s address. Thus far, the Govt. of Nagaland had accomplished its role of facilitation befittingly.
Not much to the surprise of the public, the State Govt, lobbied hard along with the NSCN(IM) for the re¬moval of the Interlocutor R.N. Ravi and they succeeded, and yet to the peril of the Naga political cause. To the delight of the anti-solution lobbyists, the present Govt headed by the hon’ble CM Neiphiu Rio and the NSCN(IM) headed by Th Muivah, the interlocutor R.N Ravi was removed, but the Govt of India refused to appoint another person as Interlocutor with the political status as Ravi held. The prejudice of the State Govt and the NSCN(IM) had a devastating impact on the political status of the Nagas and its essential processes for logical conclusion, besides the issue being under-nurtured as of today.
Having damaged the most valued political cause of the Nagas as cited above, these two anti-solution lobby¬ists continue with the ongoing efforts attempting to totally destroy the Naga political issue by means of burying the Naga political history under the debris of their avarice of suppression, oppression and pillage of the wealth of the public. The hard evidence of their offensive, brazen face and broad daylight destruction of our cause in the recent Govt’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC)’s resolution on demanding the appoint¬ment of a Union Minister of state as the interlocutor for Naga political issue, and the subsequent announce¬ment of the same as accordingly done by the Government of India in the Independence Day speech of the Hon’ble CM on August 15, 2026 that the Government of India had constituted a committee headed by the Minister of State for Home Affairs to lead the Naga peace talks.
The very PAC’s demand implies that all those efforts of years invested by the successive Interlocutors and the Naga negotiators, which could gave birth to the twin agreements, namely, the Framework Agreement and Agreed Position, are literally considered worthless and therefore treated as trash and both the agree¬ments are now put in the dustbin. The second implication is that the new Ministerial in-charge if appointed, will have totally fresh political negotiations.
As to the above, V.S Atem, Deputy Ato Kilonser of NSCN(IM), has fully endorsed what the PAC had re¬solved and the announcement of the CM. It is therefore obvious that NSCN(IM) has abrogated the Frame¬work Agreement; it is literally discarded by NSCN(IM), Yet, as per their habit, the Chairman of NSCN(IM) Q. Toccu in his Naga Independence Day speech upheld the Framework Agreement yet again. It is the bounden duty of the group to make its political stand clear to the Nagas as to whether they have discarded the FA or are for it. Mind you, you are surviving due to the magnanimity of the people of Nagaland in par¬ticular, and we deserve the truth and not the deception. The people of Nagaland will not accept exploitative patriotism anymore.
Whereas, contrary to the philosophy of the anti-solution lobbyists, the Agreed Position signatories remain ardent for early solution on the basis of what has been agreed. When so, particularly the facilitators like the PAC lack locus standi to superimpose the negotiators at any stage of the peace process.
The NLA legally endorsed both the Agreements during Assembly Session. Therefore, when the Govt. wants to undo such an officially voted and recorded resolution, it is mandatory for the Assembly to undo it through motion of legal amendment. Having not done so, how a subordinate authority as PAC could speak a differ¬ent language is simply self-demeaning. The very PAC has made the NLA a mockery. The 60 Members are elected by the citizens of Nagaland and they are to remain accountable to the electors but not to take the voters for a ride.
Questions that arise today in the public domain thereof are:
a) Had the GOI authorised the CM, Nagaland, to announce the appointment of the Union Minister of State to handle the Naga Issue? If yes, tell the Public the details. If not, what audacity does the Chief Minister have, or in what capacity has he announced it, and misled the stakeholders on the status of Naga political talk?
b) The GOI still remains silent, neither vouching for what Rio had said nor denying it.
c) The issue relates to whether the anti-solution elements managed to set aside the agreements, and therefore the public deserves to know the actual status of the new emissary purportedly being appointed. The Nagas of Nagaland in particular and Nagas in general, deserve a clear statement in this regard.
Issued by:
Media Committee,
CNFN
Wednesday, September 9, 2026