Centre inks historic Naga accord for peace in N-E

Aiming to end the oldest insurgency in the country, the Centre on Monday signed a peace deal with the key rebel outfit of Nagaland — National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isaac-Muivah) or NSCN (IM). Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the agreement as a “historic step” to usher in peace in the State in particular and the North-East in general. 

The pact was signed by the outfit’s leader T Muivah and Government’s interlocutor RN Ravi in the presence of the Prime Minister, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval at the PM’s residence. The accord between the Government and the NSCN(IM) is the culmination of over 80 rounds of negotiations over the last 18 years with first breakthrough in 1997, when a ceasefire agreement was sealed. While the NSCN(IM) is the biggest Naga rebel group which has been maintaining the ceasefire, another faction led by SS Khaplang continues to indulge in violence. 

The move assumes significance against the backdrop of recent violence unleashed by the Khaplang faction, which killed 18 Army personnel in an ambush in Manipur in June.The contours of the accord are not immediately clear. It remains to be seen if the agreement meets the key demand of the NSCN(IM) for integration of all Naga-inhabited areas in the North East across Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. “Details and execution plan within this framework agreement will be released shortly,” the Government said in a statement. The Government said, “The sustained dialogue between the two sides, conducted in a spirit of equality,respect and trust, deepened their mutual understanding and confidence, and enabled the two sides to reach an equitable agreement. The Government of India recognised the unique history, culture and position of the Nagas and their sentiments and aspirations. The NSCN understood and appreciated the Indian political system and governance.” 

Describing the accord as “historic”, Modi said, “Today, we mark not merely the end of a problem, but the beginning of a new future.” “We will not only try to heal wounds and resolve problems, but also be your partner as you restore your pride and prestige,” the PM emphasised. Muivah said the Government and Nagas were entering a “new relationship” but added that “beginning from now, challenges will be great.” 

Before the agreement was signed, Modi spoke to leaders of various parties, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Congress leader in the lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP’s Mayawati, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

He also spoke to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa, besides the Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Acharya and Chief Minister TR Zeliang. He also called up DMK leader M Karunanidhi and JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda.“Today’s agreement is a shining example of what we can achieve when we deal with each other in a spirit of equality and respect, trust and confidence; when we seek to understand concerns and try to address aspirations; when we leave the path of dispute and take the high road of dialogue. It is a lesson and an inspiration in our troubled world,” Modi said at the signing ceremony at his official residence at 7 RCR.

Terming the six-decade-old Naga problem as a contribution of the colonial rule, he said, “It is one of the tragedies of Independent India that we have lived with this legacy.”He said there were not many like Mahatma Gandhi, “who loved the Naga people and was sensitive to their sentiments. We have continued to look at each other through the prism of false perceptions and old prejudices.” 

“The Naga political issue had lingered for six decades, taking a huge toll on generations of our people,” Modi said in an apparent reference to the violence which has claimed over 3,000 lives since Independence.“Unfortunately, the Naga problem has taken so long to resolve because we did not understand each other... Today, as you begin a new glorious chapter with a sense of pride, self-confidence and self-respect, I join the nation in saluting you and conveying our good wishes to the Naga people,” Modi said.

Muivah appreciated Modi’s “vision” and “wisdom” and said Nagas “can be trustworthy”.He mentioned that the peace moves were first initiated by then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, when the outfit gave a commitment about ceasefire. Then the outfit leaders had held talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001.

Modi said the problem was a “legacy of the British rule” and “the colonial rulers had, by design, kept the Nagas isolated and insulated.”The PM said they had “propagated terrible myths about Nagas in the rest of the country” and “deliberately suppressed the reality that the Nagas were an extremely evolved society”.

The PM said “negative ideas” were also spread about the rest of India among Naga people. “This was part of the well-known policy of divide and rule of the colonial rulers,” he said.

He said he had the “deepest admiration for the great Naga people for their extraordinary support to the peace efforts” and complimented the NSCN(IM) for maintaining the ceasefire agreement for nearly two decades, with a sense of honour that defines the great Naga people. The PM said that since assuming office last year, peace, security and economic transformation of North-East has been among his “highest priorities. It is also at the heart of my foreign policy, especially the ‘Act East’ Policy.”

He said he had personally kept in touch with the progress of the negotiations with NSCN (IM). 79-year-old Muivah has been at the forefront of the negotiations with the Government.Despite the Government-brokered ceasefire with NSCN(IM) in 1997 and NSCN(K) in 2001, the Naga insurgent groups continued to indulge in inter-factional killings and targeting of security forces outside Nagaland where the ceasefire does not exist.

Rampant corruption, collection of taxes, levies and extortion had added to the woes of the common people in Nagaland and Manipur, official sources said.

The NSCN was represented by its entire collective leadership and 19 other senior leaders of various Naga tribes during the signing ceremony. Government interlocutor N Ravi also held frequent consultations with broad spectrum of Naga leaders, including those from the traditional tribal bodies, civil society, youth and students’ bodies, women’s groups, elected representatives and other stakeholders. “These consultations helped in distilling the popular aspirations of the Naga people and in enhancing a healthy atmosphere of trust and understanding,” the read the statement issued by the Government.