Imkong L Imchen, Advisor for Information and Public Relations & Soil and Water Conservation, expressed his concerns about the Naga political settlement negotiations stating, “It is not talk but a complain syndrome.”
The Advisor said this during an interaction with the media on the sideline of the inauguration of 26th Inter-District & State Table Tennis Championship 2023 which got underway at Mokokchung.
Imchen criticized the lack of progress in the negotiations, highlighting the Framework Agreement signed between NSCN-IM and the Government of India in 2015. He questioned the number of rounds of negotiations that have taken place over eight years, saying, “The things we know is only Press Releases (PR) and their PRs is only about complain after complain. Therefore, I am of the opinion that they are not interested in bringing about the solution; they are not making any progress; rather, they are making complaints.”
He pointed out the consequences of this complaining, noting, “One party making complaints means the opposite party will also complain, that is natural.”
Imchen expressed pessimism regarding the outcome of the negotiations, stating, “No, I do not expect anything because the given situation shows that they are not interested in bringing a solution. So, I am rather pessimistic.”
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
Regarding the Government of India’s position, he explained, “So far, GoI has stated their position that they are willing to concede anything and everything except the flag, constitution, and boundaries.”
Imchen emphasized the importance of the consent of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur in any boundary redraw, saying, “GoI cannot ignore the opinion and position of this state at the expense of the Naga or any settlement cannot be at the expense of these three states; it has to be a mutually agreed position only, then GoI can make a decision.”
The Advisor maintained that the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGS) have not complained about the Agreed Position with the GoI.
He also refrained from commenting on the Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organization (ENPO) issue, as he is not part of the cabinet, however, he stressed the desire for unity among the people of Nagaland, saying, “Actually, the people of Nagaland want to stay together; there should not be or cannot be eastern and western stating “Nagaland is only one”. But if they decided and wanted to go away, nobody can stop them, except GoI, he said. But the name Nagaland should be here and said there cannot be two Nagaland.”
Regarding the status of delimitation in Nagaland, he expressed doubt, explaining that the delimitation exercise is contingent on the completion of the census survey and the outcome of high-level political talks.
In the context of delimitation in Nagaland, Imchen has expressed doubts about its practicability. He pointed out that the constitutional requirement for delimitation is pending, with the completion of a census survey as a prerequisite before the exercise can take place. Elections are contingent on the completion of this process. Additionally, Imchen notes ongoing high-level political discussions, emphasizing that any increase or decrease in the number of MLAs will hinge on the outcome of these talks.
