The Naga People’s Front (NPF), the chief Opposition party in Nagaland, has quit the Joint Legislators’ Forum on the Naga peace process because of “huge trust deficit” but said it would continue to be a catalyst for an early settlement of the issue hanging fire for 23 years.
The peace process had begun in mid-1997 after the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland or NSCN (IM) declared a ceasefire with the Armed Forces. Other extremist factions and older armed organisations came on board later.
In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, the NPF said it had taken the decision of withdrawing from the forum after a meeting at the residence of Opposition leader and former Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang. This was done because there was “no further purpose in continuing with the forum”.
The Centre had in November 2017 created the Joint Legislators’ Forum to assist the peace process that was “rejuvenated” after the signing of the Framework Agreement with NSCN (IM) in August 2015 and another “agreement” with the Naga National Political Groups comprising seven other armed groups.
All 60 members of the Nagaland Assembly were made part of the forum, which has a 20-member core committee. The NPF had five legislators in this committee.
The NPF said the forum remained ineffective, more so after it was reconstituted on September 18, 2018 because of the “half-hearted approach of the present-day government”.
The NPF also accused Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of sitting over the suggestions of its members besides maintaining “an eerie silence” on what transpired in his August 5 meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with Assam Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Mr. Rio’s Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party rules Nagaland in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The NPF said the forum has “no tangible roadmap for resolving the Naga political issue” but asserted it would continue to be “active facilitators” of the peace process.
The peace process had hit turbulence after Nagaland Governor indirectly labelled NSCN (IM) and the other groups as “armed gangs” running extortion rackets in the State. The NSCN (IM) also accused him of tweaking the contents of the Framework Agreement in a bid to stall the peace process.