Kohima: The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee has once again urged the Centre to expedite the ongoing peace process between the Union government and the NSCN (IM).
In a statement issued by Chairman of Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of PCC and AICC member K V Pusa, while welcoming the Centre’s new interlocutor R N Ravi, urged the Centre to expedite the 17-year-old peace talks with the NSCN(IM).
Mr Pusa said appointing an interlocutor one after another would not resolve the issue and insisted that both sides expedite the talks with sincere efforts so as to reach a logical conclusion to the protracted Naga political problem.
He said any solution should be based on historical facts of Naga political issue.
Mr Pusa had also met a host of Indian policymakers, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, several times and asked them to hammer out a solution which would be honourable and acceptable to the people. He had met Manipur state leaders to soften their rigid stand on Naga political issue.
He said he would soon convene a PAC meeting to discuss the latest development, but added that meeting the central leaders time and again would not resolve the issue. There has to be progress in the talks. He also did not rule out PAC meeting the central leaders.
On the proposed Nagaland Special Economic Development Zone (NSDZ) along Assam border proposed by the state government, Pusa welcomed the initiative to uplift the economy of Nagaland but at the same time cautioned that such initiative should not dilute the provisions of Article 371(A) of the Constitution of India which guarantees the rights of Nagas over land and its resources.
He asked the state government to delete any resolution to this effect which would affect Article 371(A).
On the controversy over Nagaland Total Prohibition Act, 1989, Pusa appreciated the views expressed by NGOs, churches and people while stating that it has failed in some areas but not a total failure as claimed by some people.
He said even though the government has failed to enforce the Act in totality, there had been some impact in rural areas due to the initiative of NGOs and church. (UNI)
