Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma on Sunday appealed for early conclusion of the Naga peace talks, which according to him, will have ramifications across the Northeast.
Conrad said in Dimapur before concluding his Nagland visit: “As a party, we had resolved our support to the ongoing talks. I think once the talks have been completed and peace is achieved, it is going to impact the socio-economic situation of the Northeast.”
He said people have been looking forward to the conclusion of the talks and urged the Centre and all the stakeholders to finalise the peace agreement at the earliest. “It will be in the best interests of the people of Nagaland and the region,” he added.
In July last year, Nagaland governor R.N. Ravi, who is also Centre’s interlocutor for the talks with NSCN (I-M), had announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to conclude the talks within three months, but the two sides are still working on a final agreement.
On the role of his National People’s Party (NPP) in Nagaland politics, Conrad said his visit was to take stock of the situation and to strengthen the party organisation. “The idea behind meeting party leaders is to ensure they work as one unit, and there is complete unity. If there are any issues, they should be ironed out at the earliest,” he said.
Conrad said there was a political “vacuum” in Nagaland and in the Northeast, and his party was in a strong position to fill it. “We are the first party from the Northeast to be recognised as a national party. I think that speaks a lot about how people are accepting the NPP throughout the region. We will continue to raise the issues and concerns of the people of the Northeast,” he said.
Conrad also visited Manipur before travelling to Nagaland. In Manipur, the NPP is a partner in the BJP-led government.
In Nagaland, he said NPP had severed ties last year with the People’s Democratic Alliance, led by NDPP, after two of its legislators joined it. “For the future, we will take a decision along with the state leadership,” he said.