With China breathing down India’s Chicken’s Neck, which connects the northeastern states to the rest of the country, the Narendra Modi government is working hard to stabilise the sensitive northeast. It is working on a Naga peace plan, which could be announced by Modi during his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, much like former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi announced the Assam accord in 1985.
There were a series of meetings in July between the prime minister’s interlocutors and the largest Naga insurgent outfit, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM), and the two sides are learnt to have agreed on the principle of “shared sovereignty’’. The Doklam standoff with China has given a push to the negotiations, which formally began with the signing of a framework agreement with NSCN leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah on August 3, 2015, said a home ministry official.
The talks had been going on at a slow pace as the government was looking at a date by the end of the year to announce the final accord with an eye on the assembly elections due in February. But the Chinese threat has given a new urgency to the talks.
“I have information that China was supplying arms and ammunition to NSCN(IM) leaders. We must not allow China to stoke unrest in the northeast. Bringing the NSCN(IM) and other insurgent groups to the mainstream will be a very positive development,” said M.L. Kumawat, former special secretary (internal security).
According to sources, the NSCN(IM) has submitted its final draft to the government. “The draft is being prepared for a final accord, now it all depends on the right moment,” said an official. The government is determined to finalise the accord this time as “any delay will bring another bout of uncertainty with the framework agreement entering its third year,” said the official.
The government’s interlocutor R.N. Ravi and the NSCN(IM)’s negotiator Muivah and his team are aware of this. Muivah is being assisted by Antony Shimray, against whom the National Investigation Agency had filed a case of smuggling arms from Chinese dealers. He is out on bail and is on a peace mission. “We are reaching out to all stakeholders in the northeastern states,” Shimray told THE WEEK over the phone from a remote corner in the northeast.
The government and the NSCN(IM) want other Naga factions, especially groups like the Naga Ho Ho and the NSCN(KN) to come on board. Their representatives are travelling to far-flung villages on the Myanmar border, meeting tribal and village heads and convincing them of the need for an accord, and explaining to them what “shared sovereignty’’ could mean.
Alezo Venuh
Complete and separated sovereignty, which the Nagas had demanded in the past, is ruled out. It was a demand which had the support of China. In the 1960s and 70s, NSCN(IM) leaders had gone to China for training. At a recent closed-door meeting with government representatives, Muivah and another Naga leader, V.S. Atem, spoke about their experiences back then. “We were then living in China. Being devout believers, we were keen to build our own church. It took us six months to even get a clearance,” they said.
To ensure shared sovereignty, the final accord will entail a modification of Article 371 (a) of the Constitution and permit the transfer of powers from the Centre to the state on certain items. The constitutional and administrative amendments are expected to transfer the right to explore oil and natural gas, coal, minerals, forest and other natural resources to the state’s domain. Entries in the concurrent list of the Constitution which deal with the transfer of property other than agricultural land, matters related to vagrancy, nomadic and migratory tribes, religious institutions and protection of wild animals will also be transferred to the state list.
The main demand of the Nagas has been for a separate Nagalim, which, along with Nagaland, includes the hill districts of Manipur, parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and large swathes of territory in Myanmar. Under the accord, autonomous hill district councils will be set up for the four Naga-inhabited districts of Manipur. These districts will get financial autonomy, as funds will be released by the Centre to the chairmen of the councils and then to the district collectors. The arrangement would be on the lines of the Bodoland Territorial Council. With the BJP in power in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, integration should not be much of a problem. These states will be allowed to send members to an expanded legislative assembly of Nagaland, which will see the number of seats going up from 60 to 75.
Negotiations are also on regarding the demand of the Nagas for a role in manning the eastern borders. A territorial army for the armed Naga cadres is in the cards. Their induction into the paramilitary forces is also being considered. “A rehabilitation package is in the works for those who were fighting for a cause,” said a source.
In the run up to the implementation of the accord, Nagaland may see an “interim government’’ comprising a “composite cabinet’’ of the democratically elected leaders as well as the underground NSCN(IM) leadership. It will last for six months, after which elections will be held. The implementation of the provisions of the accord will start subsequently, posing a real test for the NSCN(IM) and the government.
“During Ravi’s last visit, we made it clear that we did not want to wait till the next general elections. On August 3, we have completed two years of the framework agreement. We are quite hopeful that a final settlement will come about soon,” said R. Chuba Ozukum, president of the Naga Ho Ho. He said the ceasefire pact could not go on forever and if no settlement was reached, both sides should be willing to abrogate the pact.
But Chuba remains positive and so do other leaders. “The government has said the final settlement will be inclusive, which means that all should be part of it,” said Alezo Venuh, envoy of the collective leadership of the GPRN/NSCN, another insurgent group. “There have been many accords and agreements in the past, but they never bore fruit as they were done without proper consultation. I am sure the government of India is aware of it.”
