Nagaland: Governor Ravi to continue as interlocutor to Naga peace process

Governor of Nagaland R N Ravi will continue as the Union Government’s Interlocutor to the Naga peace process regardless of trust deficit and hiccups with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah).

According to a source as published in NagalandPage, Ravi will remain the Centre’s Interlocutor, notwithstanding opposition from the NSCN (IM) and some sections of people for alleged misinterpretation of August 3, 2015 Framework Agreement, signed between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM), in the presence of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and the then Home Minister, Rajnath Singh.

The NSCN (IM) has lambasted Ravi for allegedly misinterpreting the framework agreement,  and said it is serious as the essence of the framework agreement had been found missing or manipulated in the copy circulated by Ravi among “his favoured Naga civil society organizations” to give different narratives. They group also accused him of misleading the Central leaders.

The NSCN-IM said given the nature of Ravi’s handling of the Naga political issue, it is pertinent to point out that the talks are on Naga political issues for all Nagas and covering all Naga areas. But Ravi reduced the talks to the state of Nagaland only, which is not only a “mockery” of the framework agreement co-authored by him, representing the Prime Minister, the NSCN (IM) had alleged.

“Much to the indignation of the Naga people, Ravi went against their commitment to pull down the Naga political issue to constitutional law and order problem. As a result of his newly founded stratagem, we have seen the killings of NSCN members, house raids, arrest and manhunt,” NSCN (IM) said in recent times.

But according to a source, Governor Ravi will continue as Interlocutor, even as the NSCN (IM) is currently engaged in informal talks with the top brass of Intelligence Bureau (IB) to break the impasse. According to sources, formal talks will resume with Ravi after the decks are cleared by the IB officials. Currently, there are meetings taking place on a daily basis between the IB officials and NSCN (IM), led by its general secretary Thiungaleng Muivah.

Also read: Nagaland: NSCN (IM) vows to defend Naga issue, alleges ‘R N Ravi has deceitful agenda’

There are reports doing the rounds that the Centre has asked Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to reach Delhi, ostensibly to have further consultations on the peace process.

Amidst controversy, some NGOs and other groups, engaged in the peace process, have defended Ravi with NGOs even going up to the extent of accusing certain group (without naming NSCN-IM), of applying delay tactics to stay in their comfort zone.

Over time, Ravi has rallied a section of NGOs in the State behind him ~ some believe that it was to put pressure on the negotiating parties to ink the final agreement. However, at the same time there are also perceptions that he has left out a section of people mostly consisting of young minds perceived to be intellectuals, scholars and others with cerebral minds, who are believed to hold different views from those people rallying behind him.

The former wants solution at the earliest but the latter wants an acceptable and honourable solution for a logical conclusion so that the issue does not return to square one as in the past.

Recently, the State Government has also voiced the same concerns and reiterated for acceptable and honourable solution for a lasting peace.

However, there doesn’t seem to be too many definitions of “an acceptable and honourable solution for a logical conclusion” forthcoming readily.

For the time being there is a shared opinion on the impending solution between different sections of Naga society that without conflating the conflicting views and outlooks a common solution for a lasting peace would be very unlikely.

Currently the relationship between Governor Ravi and the State Government have not been sailing smoothly after the former’s June 16 letter, which was soon followed by a directive to the Government to profile its employees, who have relatives in the underground groups. Matters compounded with Governor Ravi’s Independence Day message, which is seen as a hard hitting statement against the State Government, of which the BJP is an ally.

“When the security forces and Naga armed groups agreed to suspend operations against each other paving way for a political settlement, the legitimate expectation of the people of Nagaland was dividends of peace ~ freedom from fear of guns, better health, better education, better infrastructure, better livelihood opportunities, an atmosphere to dream and an eco-system to pursue their dreams…

“Incongruously, a deep entrenched network of vested interests has emerged during the period which has misappropriated the dividends of peace and didn’t allow them to reach the people. There is mass-scale mayhem and miscarriage of dreams and expectations of the people of Nagaland. It is unendurable and unacceptable. Nagaland is endowed with one of the finest human and natural resources. Unfortunately, today it has the dubious distinction of the worst-performing state in the country including the Northeast region on almost all the significant indicators of human development,” Ravi said.

The statement was searing for the State Government.

One of the State Government’s spin-doctors said the Governor’s statement was unprecedented as he had criticized his own Government.

Another source close to the Government said usually Governor’s speeches are drafted by the Government and wondered how the Cabinet approved such a hard-hitting speech.

Taking a jibe at the State Government and the Opposition ~ Naga People’s Front (NPF) ~ on the current political scenario, the Congress said NPF and NDPP do not have ideological stands on the Naga issue, except rhetoric.

“The much proclaimed role of facilitator by NPF and now NDPP is just hollow,” said a Congress top brass.

“We have paid a heavy political price for being pragmatic but rhetoric of regional parties was taken as gospel truth,” he added.

The Congress leader said former Prime Minister Narashima Rao fulfilled the commitment of Rajiv Gandhi, made at Dimapur two days before his death, in May 1991, offering talks without pre-conditions”.

“Marginalizing Congress in Nagaland only strengthened the Hindutva forces to have their own view of Naga political issue, notwithstanding their grand rhetoric,” he said.

The Congress said the regional parties and the BJP have become the biggest obstacles in the Naga peace process.

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