Talks between the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Issac-Muivah) and the Indian government seem to be heading in the right direction if a statement from the rebel outfit is to be believed.
NSCN (I-M) in a statement, has said that the Naga political talks are “back on track” even as they described Nagaland governor RN Ravi’s statements as “reckless”.
“The Indo-Naga political talk teams are back on the table and the Naga political talks are progressing. The historic Framework Agreement (FA) signed on the 3rd August, 2015 is being brought back to life in order to remove any misinterpretation and thereby hasten the signing of Naga solution agreement,” the NSCN (I-M) said in a statement.
The statement was issued on the letterhead of the ‘Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim’ which the rebel group have used to administer areas under their control since 1980, when the Naga rebel movement split over the 1975 Shillong Accord.
The NSCN(I-M) statement debunked governor RN Ravi’s claims that Naga political talks negotiations have concluded.
“Recently, unnecessary confusion was thrown into the air because of the reckless statement made by Mr RN Ravi, the governor of Nagaland in Nagaland assembly that the Indo-Naga political talks have concluded,” the outfit stated.
“It is needless to say that in many points his statements and conclusions reflected his role as Nagaland governor and not as interlocutor. It is a matter of regret that his role as interlocutor is nothing less than disparaging and dismal,” the statement further said.
The NSCN (I-M) statement said that the “Indo-Naga political talks … were at an advanced stage” and that has been confirmed by the Union government.
“No doubt, this is the ground reality of the Indo-Naga political talk and NSCN talk team is leaving no stone unturned to safeguard the political identity of the Naga people,” the statement said.
