Peace Talk: Heads he wins, tails you lose

Gautam Sharma *

Shushil Kumar Shinde, Okram Ibobi Singh and Thuingaleng Muivah :: Pix - TSE

YES! It did sound very uncouth to the people's ear to hear from a ruling Regional Party, like Naga People's Front, terming the CM of Manipur as 'Naga's Enemy No. 1', in its slamming reaction just after the Jamir's (the former CM of Nagaland) visit to Imphal, who came down unannounced recently to meet and wish his peers "Happy New Year!".

Who knows what agenda, the politicians discuss in a closed-door meeting? May be about the peace-talk-in-peril process or may be about the forthcoming Nagaland election, that WILL BE HELD on 23 of Feb. who knows what tete-a-tete the duo had?

But, Freedom of Speech and Expression doesn't mean everything, and it is not a device that is free to be used for allegation by the politicians for their propaganda. It is not an apparatus that can be employed anytime to defame a state leader or the people's representative of a state as 'Public Enemy', as an enemy no. 1 of its own people.

Neither it is purposive to use such freedom for dividing people on community lines, or geographical lines. There's a word called 'RESTRICTION' in this Freedom, which are placed upon this 'Right to Speak or Write' for the maintenance of, --- peace, harmony, security ---, status quo. Such most unwanted comments, in a conflict-prone area, that are not optimistic in its nature only intent to heighten the intensity of conflicts between the state brethrens and which on other side has the possibilities to mount the degrees of Hill-Valley divide issues.

So, better don't play God to innocent people and don't fix it, as nothing has broken. When peace is in turmoil, only the state's plebs suffer, not the politicians. This is the reality, that the people have experienced, and their best teachers too.

Though obvious the issue has become an aging and hunchbacked one, the expected outcome of Indo-NSCN (IM) peace talk seems still blurry to the people and the prediction of its conclusion in no certain term would be impossible. The never winding mode of talk, between the two - (NSCM-IM and G.o.I), says indirectly that there is no solution to this problem. If it has, then it might have solved long back; just before or after the death of A.Z Phizo in 1990 at London, or before Mr. Muivah and his colleague Issac Chishi Swu floated a faction under the name NSCN (IM) or much ahead of the idea of Greater Lim that has become a 'promise land' for some disgruntled section of Nagas.

So how this issue, that has not been able to address for the past decades so many decades by many so leaders, is going to be solved in some closed-door meetings between CM Ibobi with few central political honchos within a span of 2-3 days.

What possible offer the central would give that could ultimate satisfy Muivah's dream, without hurting the people's sentiments. The central government is well acquainted with the fact that their persuasive mantra to surrender the integral limbs of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for the creation of Greater Nagalim don't work at all and it is not possible at any cost. Many past chapters have also lessoned the central government that any new approach for creation of Nagalim invited communal flare up.

And no political leaders and their followers of the affected states won't remain calm to anyone who raises the issues of parting any portion of the State territory to appease some disgruntled Nagas.

The leaders of NSCM-IM have been well-versed in their Theory of 'Greater Lim'; the fact is that Two-state Theory or Alternative Arrangement is not a workable one.

What new offer the Indian Government would give???? What new solution they have before 23rd February election of Nagaland.

Would they give a new pattern of government like the Scottish pattern of government? --- offering strong separate councils for the Hill Districts, an assembly of sorts, privileges to enjoy the controls over many subjects without interference of state power. Will this arrangement work; is it called VI-Schedule or Peace-Talk outcome? Will the CM of Manipur would say 'YES' Center, Center?

It a well-known to the central team and team Muivah that Mr. Ibobi Singh of Manipur is not a soft nut that could be cracked so easily. He is much, much harder than the hardest nut. Though he appears to have poor communication skill, he has powerful confrontation skills on issues. Three Terms, that too Consecutively! More than 10 years of Experience in confrontation!! He has confronted a series of serious issues all the time where the situation is 'Head he Wins, Tail you Lose'. Let the peace-talk continues……coz we need lot of talk on peace…

Newsperson: A fast-food Center that gives provision for home delivery services has claimed to its customers today that their delivery services are faster and swifter than Police and Fire Services. Further they added that they can reach a caller home instantly, within seconds in cycles much ahead of Gypsies, cars and Ambulances.

Tagline: 'Peace is tally of a little sacrifice & love, which human ignore from the pressure of egos'