PM eager to resolve Naga political issue

Kohima: The predecessor government at the Centre had kept the Naga negotiations lingering but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is eager to resolve the vexed Naga political issue (NPI) and initiated the Framework Agreement, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh said on Tuesday. Singh was on a maiden visit to Nagaland as part of the ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ initiated by the prime minister for the newly inducted union ministers.

“Prime Minister Modi is eager to resolve the Naga issue. After taking oath as the PM (in 2014), he targeted an early solution of the Naga issue and initiated the signing of the Framework Agreement (in 2015 with the NSCN-IM),” he said. The prime minister is eager to conclude the agreement with a positive result, the union minister said and hoped that the Framework Agreement will bring IN overall peace in the region and particularly to Nagaland. Singh, who met different sections of people and Naga organisations in the state on Monday in Dimapur and Kohima districts, said that all of them want an early solution to the Naga political issue.

“That is their view and aspiration and I will convey the message to the higher authorities in Delhi,” he said. Singh termed the influx of illegal immigrants, specially from Bangladesh, to the north east region as a “very critical issue” ever since the time of Independence and partisan of the country. The influx of illegal immigrants is taking place because the indigenous people of the region are not alert nor cares about it despite its impact on the political and economic spheres of the region. Besides, the international border in the region was porous prior to BJP coming to power at the Centre, he said. Stating that the influx is impacting the region’s social demography to a great extent, he urged the people to be vigilant to stop illegal immigration. On the decision by political parties in the state on an all party government in Nagaland for a solution to the Naga political issue, Singh said the in a democratic system, the opposition plays the role of a watchdog.

“It is good if all (parties) are together to usher in development in a speedy manner, but normally the opposition should remain active so as to maintain checks and balances and also serve the interest of the people,” he said. Describing the ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ initiated by the prime minister as a familiarisation drive for the newly inducted union ministers, he said the Modi government is for good governance. The prime minister has asked the union ministers to go to the states to meet the people and seek their blessings as well as their opinion in the process of development. Singh said the induction of MPs from the north east into the union council of ministers showed that Modi has a special interest in its development as an aspirational region of the country. “Modiji has been maintaining that without the development and connectivity of the region the country cannot develop. He has transformed the landlocked region into a land linked one”, Singh said.

The union minister who arrived in Nagaland on Monday met various religious and minority groups and the general population of the state to build better coordination and confidence between the Centre and the state. n the economic development of the region, Singh said the resident commissioners of all the eight NE states in Delhi have been asked to search avenues to link with foreign countries for direct funding for exploring the natural resources so that the states benefit economically. The Centre, he said, will activate the Act East policy after the COVID-19 pandemic and if the people of the region are not alert and well equipped they will not be able to directly benefit from the policy.