When the assembly elections were held in Nagaland this year, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM) demanded that the Naga accord should be finalised before the polls were held. Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured it that it would be concluded soon after the polls. But no decision has been arrived at as yet. Over the years, negotiations have been held and progress has been made in a phased manner. A framework agreement was signed in 2015. The agreement accepted the special status of the Nagas. There was an understanding on a settlement within the Indian Federation, with due regard to the uniqueness of Naga history. The Centre’s interlocutor, R N Ravi said that some special arrangement would be made for the Nagas. There was already a special arrangement under Article 371 A of the Constitution which made that clear but 371 A does not extend to other areas inhabited by Nagas such as Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The Nagas initially insisted on the unification of Naga inhabited areas. But in 2015, they agreed that the current boundaries of the North Eastern states would not be touched. That meant that the grievances of Assam, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh were redressed. The NSCN (Khaplang) which violated the ceasefire in 2015 was not part of the peace process.
The NSCN (IM) has also dropped its demand for sovereignty. But it threatened to pull out of the framework agreement if the government included smaller groups in the peace process. After several rounds of talks, it agreed to the inclusion of the smaller groups except NSCN (Khaplang), in the process. Now the sticking points are demands for a separate flag and passport and the question of armed Naga battalions. It seems unlikely that these issues will be resolved before the Lok Sabha elections. Perhaps there are contentious issues that relate to the special status that Nagas demand within the state of Manipur which is the sticking point. Recently, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh took a stand that autonomy of governance along the line of the Sixth Schedule for Naga areas within Manipur would not be acceptable. This has created hurdles for the talks to progress. It is a fact that the hill districts of Manipur inhabited by the Nagas are far from developed. No institution of any standing exists in those areas. Hence a special economic push is needed to bring people of the hills at par with those in the valley. The belligerence of the Manipur CM is therefore nothing but an obstructionist ploy.