Source: The Sangai Express / (Agencies)
New Delhi, January 08:
After waiting for a week for his appointment with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a disappointed NSCN (IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah has decided to leave for Nagaland commercial capital Dimapur today without meeting the former.
Dr Singh, however, has assured the Naga leader that he will meet him and the NSCN-IM chairman Isak Swu when they return to New Delhi.
"The Prime Minister has promised that he will meet Muivah next time.
We got a message from the PMO that the PM will have substantive discussions on the Naga issues with Muivah and Swu once they are back from Dimapur,"said a senior NSCN (IM) leader.
The Prime Minister's hectic schedule has been cited as the reason for not meeting Muivah "Muivah is proceeding to Dimapur today itself", said the NSCN (IM) sources.
When asked whether Muivah felt bad that the PM could not give him time, NSCN (IM) leader Samson said: "Muivah is in India at the invitation of the Prime Minister.
Since Manmohan Singh is too preoccupied with his forthcoming foreign trip, he could not get the time".
According to the information provided by NSCN (IM) sources, Muivah will be leaving for Kolkata today, and will then proceed to Dimapur next morning.
He will join Swu there.
It is expected that the Naga leaders will interact "with NSCN(IM) cadres, Naga Hoho, civil society leaders and the NGOs".
The date for the rebel leaders to return to Delhi has not been fixed as yet.
NSCN (IM) sources told ANI they will be back "probably after the Manipur elections".
Manipur goes to the poll in the second week of February.
Four hill districts of Manipur are dominated by the Naga tribes.
According to sources, the Indian Government is wary of their visiting to Manipur before the elections.
It is perhaps under their pressure that all the Naga legislatures from the hill areas have submitted their resignation.
No Naga leader is expected to contest the election on any party symbol in protest against the Government's dilli dallying tactics on the issue of greater Nagaland or Nagalim, one of the main demands of the NSCN(IM).
Muivah arrived in the capital on Dec 20 at 11 p.m.with the objective of taking the negotiations with the Central Government forward.
In December 2004, the Naga leaders had held talks with leaders of the then government headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
They will be staying in India for about two months, party sources said.
The two leaders are expected to to address the issue of clashes between cadres of NSCN-IM and its rival faction, the NSCNKhaplang, that left several people dead, when they are together in Nagaland.