New Delhi: Nagaland could be headed for one of its 'best Christmas' in recent times. The stage is being prepared to resolve the long-pending Naga insurgency and political issue, and possibly by Christmas, a breakthrough will be made.
The Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), a conglomerate of seven militant groups operating chiefly in Nagaland, is ready to ink a peace pact. So is another splinter group led by Niki Sumi.
Even the NSCN (Isak-Muivah), led by the general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, is now not quite adverse to the idea of a "tangible solution".
On Oct 25, Monday, probably surprising many, including keen Nagaland watchers, the NSCN (IM) has said that – "Despite differences on certain issues, it is to put on record that the Govt of India and the NSCN are serious and committed to concretise the Indo-Naga political talks and arrive at a tangible solution."
Notably, the statement giving a hint of a broad consensus and reconciliation has said this within two days of its previous release wherein the organisation had said, "the Government of India is still pretentiously acting stubborn as the crucial rounds of talks that focussed on the Naga flag and the Constitution is driven to hang in balance. The stalemate created is unfortunate."
The NSCN (IM) had previously said the "talks failed" to live up to all the hype as the Government of India continues to indulge "in political escapism on the very issues that is holding up the road to the Naga solution."
The fresh re-conciliatory statement from the NSCN (IM) only shows that the urge to solve the Naga problem has made the militant organisation understand people's clamour for peace and a final solution.
It goes to the credit of persuasive strategies adopted by the Modi government to convince all Naga groups and influential tribal bodies and pressure groups, such as Gaon Bura (Village Elders) to accept the reality that it is high time to embrace peace and development.
Nagaland attained statehood as the 16th (state) on Dec 1, 1963, based on a peace pact of 1960, but insurgency continued in the state for a long.
