The charade goes on

THE NSCN(IM)’S  TERRITORIAL CLAIM HAS  PUT THE CENTRE IN A FIX OVER FORMULATING A CONCRETE PROPOSAL FOR PEACE SO FAR, SAYS JB LAMA

There is no doubting the Congress-led UPA government’s sincerity in solving the Naga problem and at its request, NSCN(I)M) chairman Isak Swu and general-secretary Thuingaleng Muivah landed in New Delhi last week. After the last round of talks a few months ago — the longest break so far — the two leaders had been cooling their heels at their Hebron (Dimapur) headquarters.
The Centre&’s gesture is indicative of its commitment, made in 2009, to find an honourable political settlement to the Naga problem during its second term. It is praiseworthy that it has found time for fresh talks at a time when it is up to its neck in problems and that, too, a few months ahead of the general election. Even after 16 years and several rounds of negotiation, peace in Nagaland has remained a tall order, the only silver lining being the NSCN(IM) leadership’s resilience and determination to stay the course till a solution is found.
As of now, it will be unrealistic to expect any breakthrough if the NSCN(IM) ) leaders do not compromise on their stand on a single administrative Naga unit, a euphemism for Greater Nagaland (Nagalim) — and a concept that threatens the territorial integrity of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. This demand has put the Centre in a fix over formulating a concrete proposal so far.
On his arrival in New Delhi in January 2003, Muivah asserted that the “Nagas have been living in the territory belonging to the Nagas… there is no question of forcefully living in the territory that does not belong to us. I am from Ukhrul village in Manipur where my forefathers were born. The land belongs to us and it is Nagaland for us… we are not living in the land of the Meiteis. That is a natural habitat for us. If others cannot accept it, there is nothing for us to do”.
Even before the Centre has been able to initiate consultations on the territorial demand, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur have already rejected any plan to break up their states. When in power at the Centre, the BJP turned out to be a good but “diabolical” friend for the NSCN(IM). It accepted the Nagas’ “unique history” and promised it would push their demand for integration of all Naga-inhabited areas, if necessary, even by amending the Constitution. In the bargain, the BJP managed to win seven seats in the 2003 Nagaland assembly polls, but at the fag end of its regime, then Prime Minister AB Vajpayee told a big gathering at Kohima — hundreds of Nagas from Manipur&’s four hill districts had attended, expecting him to endorse the reality of the Naga demand — that being a sensitive issue the territorial claim required a political consensus.
Livid at Vajpayee&’s remark, Muivah said there was “consensus” among Nagas and “insistence on consensus of other people to determine the future of the Nagas is absolutely irrelevant”.
But should there be any change at the Centre next year, the NSCN(IM) may have to deal with the BJP once again. The saffron brigade has already roped in pro-NSCN(IM) Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio by offering him a ministerial post. And it was he who, with the proxy support of the NSCN(IM), had dismantled Congress rule in 2003.
  All said and done, Nagaland cannot sleep in peace even after a political settlement with the NSCN (IM).  There are other factions as well, equally assertive. They cannot be ignored. Nor can public opinion be suppressed.
jbl@thestatesman.net