Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio tells people to give 'last push' to Naga political solution

KOHIMA: Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has sought the collective effort of the Naga people to give the "last push" to achieve an honourable and acceptable solution to the vexed Naga political issue between the Government of India and the Naga negotiators.

"The Naga political issue belongs to the people and therefore we need to do what can be done as per the prevailing situation to arrive at an agreement," Rio said while addressing the inaugural session of the 29th biennial general conference of the Angami Students Uion (ASU) at Naga Heritage Village Kisama on Saturday.

In this regard, he said that the leaders of the present generation must seriously deliberate on the issue.

With the Naga history being recognised as "unique" and the Naga issue recognised as a "political issue", he urged the Nagas to think and live accordingly.

He assured that the state government is working along with the opposition party to expedite the Naga peace process.

On the contentious issue of the Naga flag and constitution, Rio recalled his meeting with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent visit to Delhi and informed that Shah has said that there cannot be a separate flag and constitution for the Nagas.

However, he said that a flag that symbolises the uniqueness of the Nagas can be used under the Indian Union during community functions, but not at government establishments or meetings.

Also dwelling on the government's initiative to create a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), Rio recalled that the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Dimapur was done following the report of a committee led by Abhishek Singh.

He said that the question of who will come under the purview of ILP was then raised, which also led to the need to identify who is an indigenous inhabitant of the state.

He said that the government is conducting several consultative meetings with the tribal leaders on the issue of RIIN as it needs to be thoroughly deliberated.

He highlighted about the important role of the village councils who will be responsible to certify who is indigenous and native and later would be verified by the respective district administration.

The CM appealed to all those who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to seize the opportunity.

Expressing discontentment that only around 15 per cent of the people in the state have been vaccinated so far, he urged the students to also create awareness about vaccination.