Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the Centre is hopeful about finding a solution to the decades-old Naga conflict soon through talks.
Addressing a rally at Mon in Eastern Nagaland as part of BJP's campaign for the Assembly elections, Shah said the Centre would fulfill all the promises made to the Eastern Naga People's Organisation (ENPO), which had issued a call to boycott the Assembly elections in support of its demand for a separate state.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a new era of peace and development in the Northeast. We have solved the long problem of Bru and Reang refugees by settling them in Tripura, we solved the Bodo conflict by signing a new agreement and we also reached a settlement in Karbi Anglong by signing an agreement. Today, I want to tell the people of Nagaland that we are hopeful of finding a solution to the long Naga conflict through peace talks," Shah said.
Interestingly, BJP's manifesto for Nagaland elections this time did not make any promise about finding a solution to the Naga conflict. This led the Congress to question why a final solution could not be reached in the past five years even as BJP adopted a slogan before the Assembly elections in 2018, "elections for solution."
The Centre in 2015 had signed a "framework agreement" with NSCM (IM), the Naga rebel group in a ceasefire since 1997 and another similar pact with Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), six other rebel groups, in 2017. But a final agreement has not yet been signed mainly due to the NSCN-IM's insistence on its demand for a separate flag and Constitution for the Nagas. The Centre rejected the NSCN-IM's demand.
Stating that issues raised by the ENPO about Eastern Nagaland were genuine, Shah said the MHA will fulfill the promises to address the problems confronting people in the remote region. "Whether it is an increase in budgetary allocations or giving more powers to the council and addressing all developmental issues, we will fulfill all the promises we made for Eastern Nagaland in our manifesto," he said.
BJP and NDPP are contesting the elections with a 20:40 seat-sharing arrangement with a hope to retain power. BJP, which won 12 seats in 2018, seeks to increase its tally this time.
Assembly elections in Nagaland are scheduled on February 27