Naga Accord - NSCN(IM) Sticks To Its Guns

The Centre might have brought the NSCN(IM) back to the table, but the decades-old Naga talks are yet to reach a resolution

- Rabi Banerjee

When the centre abrogated Article 370 on August 5, tremors were felt in the northeast. The Naga peace talks, which seemed to be nearing a resolution, were again at a crossroads. The question was: If the government had taken away Jammu and Kashmir's flag and constitution, why would it let the Naga groups have the same?

The Centre, which had signed a framework agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) in 2015, had said that it would sign the peace accord with or without the NSCN(IM), on October 31. The Centre had also been negotiating with seven Naga organisations, together called the Naga National Political Groups.

However, on the day of the deadline, R.N. Ravi, the Centre-appointed interlocutor for the Naga peace process, said that the NSCN(IM) had come on board, but discussions would continue. No formal accord was signed.

The Modi government showed restraint by not signing a deal without the NSCN(IM), especially as the latter has posted almost 5,000 troops across Nagaland, Manipur and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

“The deal would be signed together. We will not divide the Naga groups,” said a top Central government official. Apparently, Modi had stepped in and asked Home Minister Amit Shah to give the NSCN(IM) more time.

Moreover, unlike in Kashmir, where separatists are openly critical of the Indian government, NSCN(IM) chief Thuingaleng Muivah shares a personal rapport with Modi. “Muivah resisted from doing that,” said Lusiano Konyak, a college professor in Kohima. “But it is also bad to stretch the issue further. It is not at all a solution.”

The influential Baptist church also played its part in the mediation, as did Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who is supposedly close to the NSCN(IM).