Naga political issue to be discussed in Kohima on Sep 12

Kohima: The Nagaland government has convened the all-important consultative meeting to deliberate the long pending Naga political issue here on September 12, officials said on Tuesday.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio would preside over the important meeting, called by the state’s Home Department.

A senior official of the Home Department said that both the Deputy Chief Ministers -- T.R Zeliang and Yanthungo Patton, state Assembly Speaker Sharingain Longkumer, the Deputy Speaker, all the Ministers, members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha from Nagaland, all MLAs, all the state Advisors, Chief Secretary, along with other senior officials of the state government would be present in the meeting.

The official said that the meeting - to be held at the state banquet hall - Chief Minister’s residential complex in Kohima, more than 45 NGOs, civil society organisations, including influential Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation, Konyak Union, Lotha Hoho, Naga Mothers’s Association, Eastern Nagaland women organisation, various Gazetted Officers’ Association, Naga Students’ Federation, Gaon Bura (village head) Federation and All Nagaland College Students Union will participate.

According to the official, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Nagaland government last week decided to hold consultative meetings with apex and influential tribal bodies and civil society organisations on taking forward the Naga Political Issue.

The decision was taken during a PAC meeting held in Kohima in the presence of the Chief Minister and the two MPs of the state.

The Nagaland government constituted the PAC on the Naga Political Issue in November last year to facilitate an early solution to the long-pending issue.

The PAC members include MLAs of eight prominent political parties, including the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), BJP, Nationalist Congress Party, Janata Dal (United) National People’s Party and the Congress Lok Sabha Member from the state, S. Supongmeren Jamir.

In a significant political development, Jamir, who is also the state Congress chief, wrested Nagaland's sole Lok Sabha seat from the ruling NDPP, defeating its candidate Chumben Murry in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Union government signed the vital Framework Agreement with the dominant Naga outfit, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), in 2015 and also signed the Agreed Position with the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups in 2017.

More than 90 rounds of meetings were held between the government and the Naga groups over the decades-old unresolved Naga political issue.

The NSCN-IM has remained unyielding on its demand for a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas as well as integration of Naga-inhabited areas spread over four northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, besides Myanmar.