Three days ahead of the tentative date for the next round of negotiations on June 7, the working committee of the Naga national political groups (NNPGs) has suspended all negotiations with the Government of India.
The NNPGs’ move follows the raid carried out by the Assam Rifles at the Jotsoma residence of Naga National Council (parent body) general secretary and co-convenor of the working committee, V Nagi, in Kohima district on June 2.
In a statement, the working committee of NNPGs said it has decided to suspend all negotiations unless the Government of India comes clean on the question of “haphazard actions” of its agencies that undermine the agreed principle signed on November 17, 2017 between the two entities.
According to the working committee, the latest action of the Assam Rifles is an insult to all sections of Nagas, who have come to trust the ongoing political talks between the Government of India and NNPGs.
It said such actions have once again raised the pertinent question as to why “Nagas cannot trust” the Government of India.
In this connection, the NNPGs held an emergency meeting on Sunday and demanded an explanation from the Government of India about the raid. It also out-rightly condemned the policy and attitude of the Centre to use Assam Rifles to raid the residences of Naga leaders negotiating in New Delhi.
Stating that the action of the men in uniform have “crossed all moral and ethical values”, the NNPG leaders concluded that it would serves no purpose to continue the dialogue since all the progress in the Indo-Naga political negotiations between the two entities appeared to be a trivial matter for the Government of India.
Meanwhile, NNPGs have called upon the Nagas to be vigilant, stating that the Working Committee was of the belief that a cordial atmosphere extended in New Delhi must be ensured equally at Kohima or in any part of Naga Homeland. However it said, “Uniformed men going berserk in Nagaland while talks are on in Delhi shows a betrayal of trust.”
The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has also condemned the recent incident of the killing of two NSCN (Unification) cadres and a civilian in Arunachal Pradesh by suspected NSCN (IM) cadres. It feared that the incident could once again ignite fratricidal clashes, if not contained immediately.
