The United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas (UNTABA) sought resolution of the Naga issue before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections or else boycott of the polls.
In a release on Monday, the association has invited leaders of different Naga tribes, associations and mass-based civil organisations “to come to a single agenda” and place an ultimatum before the Centre’s interlocutor for Indo-Naga talks R.N. Ravi – “if New Delhi fails to honour its commitment of solution before the Lok Sabha elections, Naga people will boycott the polls”.
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Ravi is scheduled to meet the representatives of Naga organisations in Kohima on Tuesday and in Dimapur on Wednesday to brief them on the status of the ongoing talks between the Centre and the Naga groups.
Ravi will arrive here on Tuesday and straightaway head to Kohima where he is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with the stakeholders, including the legislators.
The state government invited all the apex tribal hohos and mass-based organisations to attend the consultative meetings.
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The UNTABA said Ravi will be only asking the Naga representatives to cooperate with the scheme of things prepared by the Centre for its own convenience.
“Such an exercise by the government of India at this critical point of time is ludicrous. It is just to hoodwink the vulnerable Naga people to once again participate in the electioneering process leaving aside the most important issue at hand for Naga people which is the immediate political solution of Indo-Naga political impasse after decades of negotiations,” the association said.
“As an Interlocutor, Mr. RN Ravi should be well advised not to be an agent of NDA government on the issue that concerns Naga people,” it added.
The association also reminded that irrespective of imaginary boundaries, Naga people from Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar and Nagaland had successfully conducted the global mass rally at Delhi on February 23 “which was covered by all the international media houses the world over.”
According to the association, no issue should hamper the immediate political settlement. “If such proposal was made to Ravi by consensus, and if he could not give commitment, the leaders of apex civil societies should consider walking out of the meeting,” the association suggested.
Meanwhile, the government on Monday notified that the consultative meeting between Ravi and representatives of Naga organisations at Hotel Vivor in Kohima on Tuesday will begin at 6 pm and not 5 pm as informed earlier. In Dimapur, meeting will start at 1 pm, it said.