The quit notice served on the Tangkhuls of Manipur in Nagaland by the Khaplang faction of the NSCN is a grim reminder of the deep animosity that runs between the IM group and the K group.

Quit notice served on a particular community is a tool that has been employed quite often in the North East region and it entered the lexicon of quite a number of people during the height of the Naga-Kuki clash in the early 90s.

Apart from reaffirming the intense rivalry between the two factions of the NSCN, the quit notice is also a reminder of how the clash of interest between any two entities can take a dangerous turn by zeroing in on one particular community.

In a way, it shows that the Khaplang group sees the NSCN (IM) as the fiefdom of the Tangkhul people and this is one of the primary reasons why the quit notice was served on the Tangkhuls to pack their bags and leave the soil of Nagaland for good.

Singling out a particular community in any stand off between two strong organisations, particularly armed outfits, can take a bloody turn, especially in a region like the North East where there are numerous ethnic groups and tribal affiliations and this is the cause of concern over the latest development.

As long as the clash was confined between two armed organisations, the issue could be seen and interpreted as a difference of ideologies and strategies and what each of the rival group aspires for their people, but when this clash starts to particularise a particular group of people or tribe then it is time to ring the alarm bell.

This write up is not in any way to say which of the two rival group has been more committed or sincere towards solving the Naga problem, but is just a serious look at the direction in which the turf war between the two rivals is heading.

The quit notice is also another indicator of the fact that the two sides are still to take any positive steps towards reconciliation, which has been the clarion call of the Church, the Naga Hoho and numerous other Naga civil society organisations.

Much blood has been shed in the internecine war between the two rival groups and if a meeting point is not worked out soon, the future of the Naga people will continue to hang in limbo.

Looking at the bare facts and the ground reality, it will not be wrong to say that the biggest challenge lying before the Naga people is the seeming reluctance of the two rivals to bury their hatchets and see how a reconciliation formula can be worked out.

It is not the organisations which are at war between themselves, to decide who represent the people, but the Naga people themselves and the best thing would be for the two sides to climb down a rung or two and see what can be worked out.

In doing so, the NNC factor under Adinho Phizo too should not be over looked.

To repeat a point, it is not for the warring organisations to dub the other one as the traitor of the Nation.

The answer we feel lies with the people for ultimately it is the people who should decide who will lead and not anyone else.

Not heeding this would merely render the leadership of any of the rival groups nothing much more than tin pot dictators.