GUWAHATI: National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) leader Thuingaleng Muivah mourned the death of Swaraj Kaushal, the first Indian interlocutor to engage in peace talks with the outfit in 1998 in Bangkok during the Prime Ministership of Atal Behari Vajpayee.
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the demise of former Indian Interlocutor to the Indo-Naga peace talks, Mr Swaraj Kaushal. He was a renowned lawyer and politician who was held in high regard by both the Indians and the Nagas,” said Muivah.
He called Kaushal a 'great Indian statesman,' and a 'friend' of the NSCN in particular and the Nagas in general.
He said Kaushal had taken an active part during the peace negotiations with the Mizo National Front, which led to the signing of the Mizoram Accord in 1986.
“Before he was appointed interlocutor, I, along with my NSCN teammates, had met Indian leaders including PV Narasimha Rao, Rajesh Pilot, HD Deve Gowda, Satish Chandra, and NN Vohra between 1995 and 1997,” Muivah recalled.
“I last met Kaushal in October 2020 in New Delhi and had a candid conversation with him. He was a very rational man with a deep understanding of the Naga political issue,” Muivah further stated.
Kaushal, the husband of the late BJP veteran Sushma Swaraj, died on Thursday at the age of 73.