New Delhi/Kohima on the 12th of September : Amidst frantic efforts of the Nagaland government and all state parties to settle the long-running Naga political dispute prior to the Assembly elections, which are less than six months away, the Parliamentary Core Committee headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday.An official from the Nagaland government official in Kohima told the Kohima Times that a group of the aforementioned Core Committee on Naga Political Issue (CCoNPI) which was led by Rio Shah, was urged by Shah to conclude the Naga political settlement as soon as possible.
The Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, who is also the BJP legislator party leader and a major participant of the CCoNPI was also present at the meeting at which Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and high-ranking Home Ministry officials and other members of the core committee were also present.
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Chairman and former Chief Minister T.R.Zeliang as well as UDA Co-Chairman Kuzholuzo (Azo) Neinu were also in attendance.
Following the conference, Rio tweeted : “Parliamentary Core Committee to discuss the Naga Political Issue.Again, we have urged the GoI to speed up the lengthy discussions on the issue and find a quick and a fair solution.”
Patton tweeted: “Together with Hon’ble CM Shri Neiphiu Rio Ji and members of the Parliamentary Core Committee, had an event regarding the Naga Political Issue with Hon’ble Union HM Shri Amit Shah Ji and urged the GoI to find an urgent and reputable solution in accordance with the aspirations of the people”.
The official claimed the Chief Minister handed the resolution of July 16 of the CCoNPI to conclude a definitive agreement for securing the much-delayed solution to the Naga political dispute.
The CCoNPI held an informal meeting with the representative of the Centre for Naga political talks A.K.Mishra in the last week in Nagaland House in the capital city of the nation.They also handed over the copy of the resolution of July 16 that stated that the talks will conclude in a formal manner on the 31st of October, 2019, and consequently, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister, A.K.Mishra, to meet NSCN-IM officials to a speedy conclusion of the long-running issue.
Prior to the start of the meeting with the Central government, Rio and other members of the CCoNPI last week had a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati.
The Centre has been conducting peace talks with the NSCN-IM and other Naga groups which have come together in the past few years under the umbrella of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs).
Since 1997 in 1997, the Centre has conducted over 85 rounds of talks with the NSCN-IM as well as other Naga groups.
However, the NSCN’s insistence on the creation of a separate Naga flag and Constitution turned into a major hurdle.
Former interlocutor with the government and later Nagaland Governor R.N.Ravi who is currently in the gubernatorial office in Tamil Nadu, had denied these requests on a variety of occasions.
The main parties in Nagaland and all other Naga bodies , and civil society organizations are putting in all their efforts to settle the Naga political issue prior to the next Assembly elections, scheduled to take place in February of next year.
The BJP as well as the NDPP and the Naga People’s Front has merged in the past was the party that formed the non-opposition-based all-party UDA government in the year 2000 to pursue the Naga political dispute with the Centre and Naga outfits and other groups.
The NDPP is the most dominant political party of the alliance ruling in Nagaland and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has 12 MLAs is considered to be one of the major constituencies of the alliance.
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