The Nagaland Peoples Action Committee (NPAC) took out a protest rally at the airport road in Dimapur today following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Nagaland.

Members from the NPAC have been holding banners demanding Naga Solution first, not assembly election.

Public organisations and civil societies of Nagaland have demanded for political solution in a joint representation addressed to the Home Minister, Government of India, who arrived in Nagaland today.

Welcoming Amit Shah to the state, the leaders wrote: “Your physical presence in our land bears much significance”.

They reminded that 26 years of political negotiations between GoI and the NSCN-IM and the Working Committee of the seven Naga National Political Groups (WC, NNPGs) have had “immense toll on the life and economy of the people of Nagaland”.

The leaders lamented that “… several memorandums and representations” have been submitted to the Prime Minister and yet “uncertainty looms large till date despite the official negotiations being concluded in October, 2019”.

The representatives further called the promise of “election is for solution” made by the BJP in 2018 “a damp squib as the term of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly is about to end without solution.”

Along with this representation, the leaders of the various Naga organisations and civil societies also attached a copy of the last Representation written to PM Modi and asserted that “we continue to uphold the languages and the expressions contained in the said document”.

“We have lost our faith in the democratic process,” they stated and demanded for “Political Solution before the election”.

While still assuring “utmost cooperation towards implementation of the solution”, the leaders urged the GoI to decide “whether the negotiations are brought to its logical conclusion in a solution or call it a fiasco as the indecision does not benefit any party”.

The representation was jointly signed by Theja Therieh, Convenor of Nagaland People’s Action Committee (NPAC); Shikuto Zalipu, Convenor of Peace Committee, Nagaland GB Federation (Village Chiefs) and Co-Convenor of NPAC; Imsumongba Pongen, Co-Convenor of NPAC; Akhu Naga, Joint Secretary of NPAC; Sahlim Konyak, President of Nagaland GB Federation (Village Chiefs); Tia Longchar, Convenor of Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT); T Lanu Imchen, President of Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC); Dr Khanlo Magh, President of Senior Citizens Association Nagaland (SCAN); Joshua Sumi, President of Ex-Parliamentarians’ Association of Nagaland (Ex-PAN); Dr Khekugha, President of Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CNCCI); Tonito Yeptho, President of Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC); and Nribemo Ngullie, General Secretary of NTC.

Meanwhile, NPAC Convenor Theja Therieh speaking to NTN stated that Union Home Minister is visiting the State when Nagas are in a very crucial stage of the peace negotiation, adding that it is a good opportunity for the Civil societies and tribal bodies to express their opinion.

“…the Civil organisations, we had a meeting at Hotel Saramati and we decided we will give our representation and that will be the Civil voice of the state of Nagaland,” said Therieh.

Therieh stated that 26 years of negotiation is enough and since it was the GoI who initiated and invited the Naga national political groups for talks, it maintained that they (GoI) who have initiated the talks should also be in a position to logically close the issue with a solution.

He also stated that several representations were written to the GoI in the past by many organisations and tribal bodies but there has not been a single response or acknowledgement to the representations. However, he firmly believed that Amit Shah visiting the state will definitely give a kind of signal of what is in the mind of the GoI.

He also maintained that if GoI has no political will to deliver what they have promised then the GoI should call off the ongoing peace talks.

Furthermore, Therieh also stated that democratic process has failed the Nagas several times and Naga people have nothing to receive from the forthcoming election, adding that this election cannot restore our system.

“It will not answer the prayers of the common people so we don’t want to talk about election. So, before election, solution must come,” he added.