Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday appealed to the Centre to make all-out efforts to bring about an honourable, acceptable and inclusive settlement of the 70-year-old Indo-Naga political issue.
Rio made the appeal while introducing the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government’s six-point resolution on the last day of the two-day Assembly session on the issue.
He said the PDA government will play the role of an active facilitator to the ongoing Naga peace process and the right of the Nagas to live as members of the same family under an administrative umbrella will be never given up.
Rio appealed to all sections of Nagas to maintain unity and peacefully participate in the ongoing negotiations to reach a settlement of the Indo-Naga political impasse.
The chief minister moved the resolution after reconstitution of the Joint Legislators’ Forum on the Indo-Naga political issue, comprising all members of the 13th Nagaland Assembly and two members of Parliament from the state, under the chairmanship of Speaker Vikho-o Yhoshu on Tuesday and after threadbare deliberations by the House on Thursday.
Rio expressed gratitude
to all parties for the negotiation process. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inking a framework agreement on August 3, 2015, and also for the written
agreement on November 17, 2017, with the six Naga
national political groups.
The chief minister also placed on record the government’s appreciation for the “invaluable sacrifices made by the Nagas over the past seven decades to bring a settlement of the Indo-Naga political issue”.
He appealed to the Naga political groups that have walked away from the negotiation to return to the negotiating table.
Rio reiterated the Assembly’s resolutions in 1964, 1970, 1994, 2003 and 2015 on the integration of the contiguous Naga-inhabited areas for assuring the Nagas their emotional integration and also affording all Nagas to live under an umbrella.
He sought support from all members, including the Naga People’s Front, led by Opposition leader T.R. Zeliang and the two MPs, saying, “Today, the Nagas are yearning for lasting peace, which will pave the way for progress and development.”
