GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Manipur later this month to discuss the Naga political issue with all stakeholders.
Disclosing this, Chief Minister N Biren Singh told journalists that Shah had expressed the desire to meet all elected representatives and other stakeholders, including members of civil society organisations, and discuss the issue. He said the date of Shah’s visit was yet to be finalised.
Explaining his government’s position, Singh reiterated that there would be no compromise on the issue of Manipur’s territorial integrity.
“Our position is very clear. We have conveyed to the central government several times that we stand opposed to any compromise on Manipur’s territorial interests,” he asserted.
Issues standing in the way of the settlement of the vexed and protracted Naga problem include the contentious demands of separate Naga flag and Naga constitution raised by major insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagalim or NSCN-IM. If the Centre gives in to the demands, it will give the Nagas a separate political identity.
The NSCN-IM, which has held over 100 rounds of peace talks within and outside the country since signing a ceasefire agreement in 1997, stated recently: “What is there for the Nagas to gain out of a Naga deal if we are to lose our political identity that is identified by flag and constitution?”
Seven other rebel outfits, which came together under the banner of Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), are flexible. These groups have more or less reached an agreement to sign the final deal and they say all outstanding issues could be dealt with post-settlement.
The Centre had held the peace negotiations separately with the NSCN-IM and the NNPGs. All these rebel groups insist on a settlement that also protects the interests of the Nagas living in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Nagas have sizeable populations particularly in Manipur and Arunachal. The three states are wary of the final Naga settlement. Let alone any disturbance to their territorial integrity, they are also opposed to any possible alteration to their existing administrative arrangements.
A recent closed-door meeting between Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in Nagaland triggered speculations about the Centre engaging the BJP stalwart in brokering peace. The Centre had taken Sarma into confidence while resolving the problems of the Bodos in Assam and displaced Brus in Tripura.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, which is a conglomerate of civil society organisations, met the leaders of the NNPGs in Nagaland on Tuesday and urged them to use the opportunity of peace talks for the creation of a foundation for future generations. The delegation said it was imperative to work in the interests of all ethnic communities of both states given their small populations and the growing threat from the influx of migrant populations.