Politics on Naga issue – Is this for electoral gains ?
- Imphal Times Editorial :: April 28 2018 -

Either it is at Manipur the hot spot of Insurgency Theater, or at Nagaland where Naga insurgence have full power to influence the electoral politics, the age old unsettled issue of the Naga always comes up in public domain when general election or parliamentary election is knocking at the door.

A news report, collected form official source, and published at one of the most respected newspaper “Indian Express” says that the Naga Accord is nearly at the final stage.

It further added that the accord will not change boundaries of any neighbouring states of Nagaland particularly for the state of Manipur.

Incidentally, the news report appeared when the Election commission of India (ECI) announced the by-election date for the lone Nagaland Parliamentary Constituency.

As per the announcement the election for the lone MP seat will be held on May 28, 2018.

At a time when the recently held Nagaland state assembly election was just some few months talks about a final solution of the vexed Naga issue was the agenda.

President Ram Nath Kovind, who visited Nagaland for inauguration of the Nagaland HornBill Festival, had announced that the age old Naga issue will be sorted out soon.

Before that, in September 2017 Governor of Nagaland PB Archarya had also assured the people of Nagaland that the issue will be solved in two months.

But, Nagaland state Assembly election was held without completing the final solution.

Every people in the entire North East knows that the main stakeholders which is dealing for the vexed Naga issue is the NSCN-IM.

It is the way that this main insurgent group who had started peace dialogue with the government of India in August 1997 that has been regarded as most influential when it comes to Naga issue.

In the neighbouring state Manipur, the game was different.

A single mistakes committed in the course of solving the issue may result strong uprising witnessed in June, 2001. So it was differently tackled in their own way by every political party.

In 2011, a newspaper reported about the formation of a Supra state for the Nagas as demanded by the NSCN-IM.

The report was also published based on highly confidential source from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

A flare up following the news report compelled the authority to clarify saying that no such agreement has been signed or agreed.

Well, sometimes important documents of this kind seems to be intentionally leaked to check the reaction of the general public.

This may be one of the effective ways of the government to study the mentality of the general public for political gains.

After almost 20 years of peace talk and close association, it might not have been difficult for the Indian government to find out the present strength, strategy and every loop holes, weak area of the NSCN-IM.

Existence of the various other rebel groups and the present day mindset of the people of Nagaland which have been under analysis by experts for over 2 decades.

The government now know that people are fed up of the insurgency movement , yet every Naga people still feel that there is an unsettled Naga issue. People like a solution, no matter, how it does.

Perhaps the news report, published yesterday is an intentionally leaked out report which the government of India is preparing in the backdrop of the upcoming Nagaland Parliamentary constituency election.

As of now, no clarification has been made from the side of the NSCN-IM.

May be because the report which said that there will be no change in the boundary of any NE states neighbouring Nagaland is accepted by them.

It may be remembered that 1000s of Naga rebel cadres have died fighting for a sovereign Nagaland.

After NSCN-IM enters peace deal with the government of India the demand for separate state had been reduced to formation of a separate state by carving out portion of land from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

If the report appeared is not reacted by the NSCN-IM, it now stands clear that the NSCN-IM have finally given up its earlier stands.