Updated 6 October 2020 at 12:45 IST
Naga separatists desperate; now try to leak letter to PM seeking talks in third country
Amid the deadlock in the Naga Peace talks, separatist group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM), has leaked the letter that it had written to PM Modi
Amid the deadlock in the Naga Peace talks, separatist group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM), has leaked the letter that it had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year in February, lashing out at interlocutor and Nagaland Governor, RN Ravi and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In the letter, NSCN(IM) General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah has blamed the government for being non-responsive to their demands. The outfit which has pressed for its own separate Naga flag and constitution has alleged that there had been efforts to downgrade the peace talks which had earlier started at the Prime Minister-level. The letter also asks for 'necessary arrangements' to be made for the outfit if their stay in India is 'not welcome' offering for the resumption of political talks in a 'third country.'
"Today, we bring to your notice matters of serious concern regarding the activities of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and its agencies including NIA and Assam Rifles. As you are well aware, 22 years of political negotiation had started at the highest, i.e Prime minister-level talks without precondition and talks outside India in third countries. We had come to India on the invitation of the Government of India. We are totally shocked and surprised that even after more than two decades of political negotiation, the MHA and its agencies have become obnoxious," Thuingaleng Muivah's letter says.
"The latest episode of the MHA, which through a missive to the Nagaland government, questioned our presence in Dimapur. We are in Nagaland to meet our own people vis –a vis peace process…if our stay in India is no more welcome, all necessary arrangements must be made for us to leave India and the political talks be resumed in a third country," the letter adds.
Governor's I-Day speech stalls talks
Peace parleys underway between the Government of India and NSCN-IM, one of the factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland which were stalled for a brief period due to the Independence Day speech by RN Ravi. The outfit has been long asking for the removal of Governor Ravi as the interpolator.
Back in August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Arvind Kumar, to bring back the Naga Peace talks on track, after expressing concern over the recent fallout, as per reports.
The framework agreement signed in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough made in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after India''s Independence in 1947.
Published By : Ananya Varma
Published On: 6 October 2020 at 12:45 IST