Centre prolonging peace talks, Nagas not fools, says NSCN(K) leader Niki Sumi

Dimapur, Dec 16: Naga political parties, Naga people and frontal organisations need to come together to resolve the Naga political issue, the Niki Sumi faction of the NSCN (K) said.

Addressing the press at the Ceasefire Supervisory Board office on Monday, Niki Sumi lamented the divisions within the Naga political groups.

"If the civil society is divided, factions become based on tribes or villages. The blame does not lie solely with the Naga political groups, but the division in the civil society contributes to the rise of factions," said Sumi, who leads the NSCN(K) Niki Sumi group.

He also stressed the unification of the three major apex bodies, the United Naga Council (UNC) Manipur, the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), and the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC).

"The Centre is playing a policy of prolonging the issue, thinking the Nagas will eventually tire out. But the Naga people are not fools. If the intention is merely to conclude the talks without a genuine solution, the Naga people are watching and will eventually understand the reality," he stated.

He said Naga tribal and political leaders are deceiving people about their dealings with New Delhi, and claimed that many leaders who boast of being part of high-level ministerial meetings are "managed by Indian intelligence agencies to sow discord".

"Creating factions is not our goal. Naga intellectuals and the Naga political groups need to study this so that we don't end up like the movement in Punjab. If political parties become lethargic, a solution will not come," Sumi said.

On the deadlock in the peace process, he drew a sharp contrast between the Naga National Political Groups' (NNPG) approach and the NSCN-IM's Framework Agreement.

He argued that the NSCN-IM's insistence on a flag and a constitution is contradictory if the central government does not agree to "integration",  the unification of Naga-inhabited areas in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam with Nagaland.

"The reality is without integration, how will a flag or constitution cover the southern Nagas? Will the Centre agree to break the boundaries of Manipur or Arunachal? If integration does not happen, the flag and constitution have no value," Sumi asked.

Sumi questioned the contents of the Framework Agreement signed with the Centre on August 3, 2015.

"What is inside it is not clear," he expressed.

"The NNPGs are saying, let us accept what is achievable now, competencies, and fight for the remaining rights democratically in the future," Sumi said, urging intellectuals and the public to read both agreements without emotion and "accept the reality."

The Centre and NSCN-IM entered into a ceasefire in 1997, beginning negotiations for a political resolution to the long-standing conflict. After more than 70 rounds of talks, the Centre signed the Framework Agreement with NSCN-IM in 2015.

However, the Centre has not accepted NSCN-IM's persistent demand for a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas, which has led to prolonged negotiations.

The Centre also entered into parallel negotiations with the WC NNPGs, a coalition of seven Naga groups, in 2017, and inked the Agreed Position in the same year.

While the WC NNPGs have expressed willingness to accept whatever is possible and continue negotiations on other contentious demands, the NSCN-IM has declared it will not accept any solution without a separate flag and constitution.

PTI