GNLA talks: A la 2013 polls
SHILLONG: The attempt of the State Government to bring another militant group, GNLA, to the negotiating table ahead of the Lok Sabha polls has striking similarity to the poll oriented move adopted by the Congress last year.
Just before the Assembly elections in January last year, the Congress-led MUA coalition had inked a draft peace pact with both factions of ANVC. Though the pact benefitted the Congress in the Assembly elections, the pact itself is in limbo.
It was in January last that Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma had hinted the need to initiate talks with the GNLA, followed which there was a customary appeal by Governor Dr. K.K. Paul during his Republic Day speech on January 26.
Reacting to a mere verbal appeal of the Governor, the GNLA expressed its eagerness to sit for talks but since then the State Government has hardly moved forward to clear the decks for the talks.
Political observers argue that if the Government inks any peace deal with GNLA, there are chances that the militant outfit will support the ruling Congress in the Lok Sabha polls since the outfit had, last year, announced its support to the party for the Assembly polls.
Jailed GNLA chairman Champion R Sangma, while announcing his support to the Congress, had expressed his keenness to contest the Assembly polls, but the same never materialized.
It was on September 20, 2012 after he was produced before the court that the GNLA chairman had come on record saying that the outfit would support the Congress in the Assembly elections.
“We will support Congress in the upcoming elections. I have directed my cadres to support the Congress,” the GNLA leader had said then.
During the run up to the Assembly polls, there were allegations from certain quarters that militant groups were extending a helping hand to certain Congress candidates.
Incidentally, a senior Congress party leader on Thursday said that the move to bring GNLA to the negotiating table has nothing to do with the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“Our sole intention is to achieve peace in Garo Hills,” he said.
On Wednesday, the self-styled commander-in-chief of GNLA, Sohan D Shira, made an appeal to the United Christian Peace Forum (UCPF) and his attorney Sujit Dey to act as mediators and to convey the outfit’s message to the Meghalaya Governor so that peace talks can be initiated.
Shira wanted the Meghalaya Governor to approve the name of Dey and the United Christian Peace Forum as mediators between the two parties, adding that the outfit’s chairman (Champion Sangma) would officially communicate to the Governor about the peace talks and its process.
“We stand with our Chairman. This statement shall be treated as an official document for the purpose of the approval of the mediators,” the GNLA commander-in-chief said.