Refusing to meet RN Ravi : Piling on the pressure
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 27 2019 -

Piling on the pressure.

Obvious that the NSCN (IM) and the frontal Naga organisations know how and when to strike and perhaps this is just the right moment for them to underline their position by staying away from the interactive session lined up with the Interlocutor to the peace talk RN Ravi.

The position of the NSCN (IM) and the Naga civil society organisations is understandable for the peace process has indeed been dragging on for quite a long time.

As stated earlier, a child born back when the ceasefire agreement was signed between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India in 1997 would now be 22 years old.

This means the child is no longer a juvenile but an adult and who knows, quite a number of children born in the year the ceasefire was inked may have settled down and may have even become mothers and fathers !

The sense of urgency to come to a final deal is real and understandable.

In a short while from now, the Lok Sabha elections will be held and no one can guarantee hundred percent that the Modi Government will return to power.

If the Modi Government goes out, then it could mean setting back the peace process by some years and this is definitely not something which the Naga people would want, much less the NSCN (IM) and the NNPGs.

A point which The Sangai Express had already raised on more than one occasion here and clearly the position of the Naga people can be understood.

This is where the recent poser raised by Thuingaleng Muivah ‘Understand PM’s position but what about ours ?” during an interactive session in a news channel gains credence.

The common thread that runs through question of Th Muivah, the visit of RN Ravi to Nagaland and the decision of the Naga CSOs to stay away from the scheduled meeting with RN Ravi is clear.

All are aimed at accelerating the peace process and take it to its logical conclusion though the approach adopted may be different.

As noted earlier in this column, 22 years is indeed a long time and one can understand the sense of urgency and exasperation felt by the Naga people, but it should also be understood that there are needling issues that need delicate handling.

Any wrong move could plunge the region into mayhem and New Delhi must obviously be aware of this.

This is where the tricky part lies.

And it stands that the tricky part will lie in the States neighbouring Nagaland.

Any bilateral issue that concerns only the NSCN (IM) and New Delhi may be not that complex, but it is the interest of the neighbours that need tactful dealing.

Manipur is an apt example of what can happen if the Centre takes a wrong step while inking the final deal.

The moot point is, the stand of Manipur has gone beyond protecting her territorial boundary to protecting the interests of the State and this is where the Centre will have to walk the tight rope.