The Naga National Political Groups, an umbrella organisation of seven Naga groups, has lashed out at the government for “mishandling” the Manipur situation, terming the ongoing strife a “premeditated attack” to disturb peace and harmony in the northeast.
The NNPGs, who have been in the forefront of peace talks with the government for a settlement to the decades-long Naga insurgency, alleged that the government's faulty policies have led to a divide between the Nagas, Meiteis and Kukis.
In the last few years, the government had done a balancing act on the Nagas' demand for a separate greater Nagalim—consisting of Nagaland and Naga inhabited areas of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh—led by the largest insurgent outfit NSCN(IM), by holding separate talks with the NNPGs—seven armed groups in ceasefire with the government. But now the NNPGs' unhappiness can lead to yet another setback to the protracted peace talks.
In a statement issued by its working committee, the Naga Political Groups said that the government has set fire to its own tent in Manipur, and the fire could spread. The epicentre is Manipur, but the tensions and violence have spilled over to neighbouring states, they said. The Naga bodies condemned the act of women being paraded naked and the atrocities on them, saying the destruction and death is unprecedented which can long term implications on the peace in northeast.
While condemning the ransacking of churches in Manipur, the groups also expressed concern over the communal and religious overtones of the ethnic violence. “The future ramification is frightening and unimaginable in the region. The socio-economic, religious and cultural, political and historical landscape of North East is too fragile historically,” said the statement.
From the streets of Imphal, the concerns have spread to neighbouring states like Mizoram, Nagaland and Assam where hundreds had fled after violence broke out in Manipur in May. “The neighbourly co-existence between Nagas, Meiteis and Kukis have taken a brutal beating,” the statement said, adding that the time has come for the affected communities, with the help of civil societies and community leaders, to allow reason to prevail.
The Nagas have appealed to the people not to allow politics to overtake the need of for peace between various communities who have to co-exist in the hills as well as the valleys.
