Dimapur: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday asked Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah what prevented them from bringing a solution to the Naga issue during the period of 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
“Did they think 13 was an unlucky number,” Ramesh further asked.
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He raised the question at a press conference at the Congress Bhavan in Dimapur in reference to Rio’s statement that the core issue in the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly will be the Naga political solution.
Elections for the 14th Nagaland assembly will be held on February 27.
“The BJP’s agenda in 2018 was an election for a solution while the NDPP gave the slogan change is coming, yet here we are,” he said.
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The Congress leader said various past PMs starting from PV Narasimha Rao, IK Gujral, Deve Gowda and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had taken forward the Naga talks years ago but Modi could only bring a framework agreement in 2015.
The Congress veteran also pointed out that the details of the framework agreement drafted by the Modi government in 2015 were kept secret.
“We never knew what was in it until the details started to leak, yet no official statement,” he said.
He said the solution would have been a reality had their intention been in the right place, considering the type of majority the party has.
He added that the ambiguity has increased during the eight years of the Modi government.
Ramesh said a peace accord has to be based on consensus and acceptable to the larger groups such as the youth and the civil societies.
He stressed that the solution should be based on maintaining the dignity, pride and diversity of Naga society and should be holistic.
Ramesh said the real problems like water, health, power, education and jobs are nowhere in consideration by the BJP and NDPP.
“What they are calling development is actually extortion and that is what the people are scared of,” he said.
Ramesh urged Modi to take the people of Nagaland into confidence and talk about the real issues in the state.
Stating that only Congress will protect preserve and promote Article 371 (A) which is specific to Nagaland, he reiterated that the PM and HM should assure the people that they will not touch Article 371 (A) but rather implement it in letter and spirit.