The People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government in Nagaland has faulted Governor R.N. Ravi’s Independence Day speech, underlining the growing differences between the two over the protracted Naga peace process.
The State government, appreciating the Centre for resuming the talks, also asked the opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) to return to the Joint Legislator’s Forum that was formed in 2017 as a catalyst for the peace process involving several extremist groups since 1997.
The NPF had on Tuesday quit the forum citing “huge trust deficit” and indifference of the PDA government headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to suggestions for taking the peace process forward.
“Nagaland is endowed with one of the finest human and natural resources. Unfortunately, today it has the dubious distinction of the worst-performing State in the country, including the northeast region, on almost all the significant indicators of human development,” Mr. Ravi said in his speech on August 15. He is also the interlocutor for the peace Naga process.
The State government, run by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party in partnership with the BJP, took its time to react.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, it said: “The PDA has taken note of the people’s concern on the contents of the honourable Governor’s Independence Day speech wherein negative statements on Nagaland were made. The PDA observes that the speech has not been well received by the people.”
“Though Nagaland may not be the best performing State, we are making every effort to take the State forward on all developmental fronts. As representatives of the people, the PDA is compelled to voice the feelings of the people,” the government said, reminding Mr. Ravi of the awards it had received as performing small State in law and order in 2018 and 2019.
The Governor and the PDA government have been on a collision course after the former’s letter to Mr. Rio on June 16 highlighted the worsening law and order situation, citing “over half a dozen organised armed gangs brazenly running their so-called governments and challenging the legitimacy of the State government”.
Mr. Ravi had referred to the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, or NSCN (IM), and other rival or older armed extremist groups.
A month later, the Governor put the PDA government in a spot by making the State’s Chief Secretary issue a memo asking the heads of the departments to obtain information, in a self-declaration form, from all government servants if they have any family members or close relatives in the armed groups.
Meanwhile, three organisations of the Zeliangrong community comprising the Zeme, Liangmai and Rongmei Nagas have resented the “intimidation” from NSCN (IM) for standing by Mr. Ravi.
Asking the Centre not to allow the NSCN (IM) to issue any threat or intimidation “under the garb” of the political negotiation, these organisations said it was unfortunate that opinions not to the liking of the extremist groups were being tagged “anti-Naga”.
