Kohima: Governor designate of Odisha and former Chief Minister of Nagaland Dr S C Jamir on Tuesday said that no political settlement to the decades old Naga problem was possible ‘without the people’s knowledge and consent’.
Jamir said that after 60 years of political struggle, the Nagas were in a situation where they could neither go forward nor retract to a reasonably safe place.
“Those people who are supposed to be engaged in the political struggle for the Naga cause appear to be in the political wilderness without the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire to guide them,” he quipped.
Stating that the Naga problem had becomne the ‘buzzword’ for every Naga, he said it was an admitted fact that the so called Naga issue was in ‘a terrible mess’. It would continue to be so until the people were given opportunity to express their views and opinions on the kind of political arrangement that would be honourable.
“Without people’s knowledge and consent, final political settlement will be a far cry,” he said. “Nagas have been talking about the Naga political problem for the last more than 60 years as if this is the only agenda for them,” he said.
“This obsession had stonewalled other most important aspects of human development in the Naga society, such as economic development, social development, human resources development, cultural development and many other disciplines that are essential for the development of human society”, Jamir said.
He was addressing a mammoth gathering of Congress workers during a felicitation programme organized by Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) in honour of his new assignment as Governor of Odisha at Congress Bhavan Kohima.
Dwelling on the break down of governance in Nagaland, Jamir said the elected government was not allowed to function according to the Constitution and the Rule of Law by both “seen and unseen forces that are holding the key”.
“These diabolical forces acquired their power and strength through clever and calculated exploitation of the whole game of election,” he said.
On the debacle of the Congress party in the just concluded Nagaland Assembly elections, Jamir, who has led the Congress party to power and has been chief minister five times, said the Congress had run the affairs of the state for several years in the past without any hindrance from any anti social and anti-national elements.
“We remained true to our ideology and policy… we have never sacrificed nor compromised on the basic principle of the party,” he said, adding it was because of this that the party was always seen as the best alternative to run the affairs of the state.
Nevertheless, the veteran Congress leader regretted that over the years due to pressing circumstances or prompted by opportunism, the party had strayed from its basic policy and ideology.
He asked Congress to show the Naga people that the party was the best alternative to run the affairs of the state. “Congress has to go back to its original stand, i.e. to forge unity among Naga people for better future, progress and prosperity,” he added. (PTI)