Six political parties in Nagaland -- the Congress, the Bhataiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal-United, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Trinamool Congress -- have resolved that the United Progressive Alliance government in the Centre should give more importance to finding a solution to the Naga political problem through dialogue with Naga national groups (rebel groups) than to holding the next assembly election.
The political parties concerned have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for acceleration of the peace talks with the Naga national groups so as to bring it to a logical conclusion that is acceptable and honourable to all sections of the Naga society.
The parties pointed out that the assembly election, which is due in March this year, may be deferred in Nagaland in view of Naga public
clamouring for an early solution to the ongoing peace process.
Earlier, Naga Hoho, the apex civil society group in Nagaland, had made an appeal to the Election Commission of India to reschedule the election.
It is worth mentioning the ceasefire agreement between the Government of India and the Naga rebel group National Socialist Council of Nagaland was signed about 16 years back in 1997, but the peace talks between the two parties have not yet delivered the desired results.
In the meantime, the Centre also signed truce with another rebel group NSCN-K, which later disintegrated into two. However, no formal dialogue has been started with the NSCN-K yet even as the Indian government has been emphasising on unification of all Naga rebel groups for the sake of a lasting solution to the vexed Naga political problem. However, the unification efforts led by the influential Church-backed Forum for Naga Reunification so far hasn't succeeded in bringing all Naga rebel groups under one platform for the greater interests of finding a solution to the Naga political problem.
