What Congress missed out during 'Rahul Yatra' is something huge ::: NNPG says Naga Hoho tried 'cosied up' to Rahul Gandhi

Rio cabinet can pass a resolution thanking Kerala MP for promoting Tourism

New Delhi/Kohima

"After an unrelieved gloom of nineteen traumatic months, there is suddenly a dawn....Indian democracy asserts itself and overthrows and banishes authoritarianism that threatened to be in our midst forever".

-- Well the quote above is about the end of Emergency, a Congress gift of the 1970s.

The clock has moved on. 'Traumatic months' at the national level now relate to Modi rule in the centre, according to the grand old party's perception. In Nagaland context, its 'traumatic years'.

Exactly 21 years ago, the Congress lost power in Nagaland -- wherein the party ruled for long cherishing all nationalistic values and at the same time giving Nagaland some refresher courses on bad habits like corruption.

But a boy born in 2003 is an adult this year. But the Nagaland Congress is limping. It lost two assembly polls badly. In 2018, state unit president K Therie and AICC in-charge C P Joshi fought over funds crunch issue. In 2023, all parties such as NCP, LJP (Ram Vilas) and RPI (Athawale) could open their accounts, but Congress could not.

When Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was announced, there was an element of 'hope' among hundreds of Congressmen and women and the party's old sympathisers in Nagaland. But the Yatra came and went by without embarrassing the NDPP-BJP regime much.

"To have to drive through these roads is an injustice to the youngsters and old people of Nagaland. It is a betrayal to the people of Nagaland,” he told a crowded public rally in Mokokchung.

It's true the National Highway-2 (erstwhile NH-61) after crossing Doyang Bridge in Wokha towards Mokokchung is one of the most challenging roads.

Except this and a bit on power situation, no much uncomfortable questions were raised. 

Even 'corruption' menace was not mentioned in details. NDPP chief Chingwang Konyak's fiasco or 'highly inspired' remarks on Referendum was spared. 

Chingwang had given away a tool to his former party (Congress) to use it suitably as the reference to Referendum had come from a key player in the NDPP-BJP dispensation. 

It was a perfect issue to mock at BJP's nationalistic politics.

(this story also published in 'Nagaland Page') 

But Rahul Gandhi, his large team of journalist and non-writing media friends and Jairam Ramesh were too busy to deal with 'issues' of Nagaland. What a waste of opportunities? 

Of course, Rahul Gandhi spoke of Naga peace talks and that for nine years the Modi government has failed to keep its promise. He nearly forgets perhaps that the Congress-led UPA was in power for 10 years between 2004 and 2014 and yet a solution to the Naga issue was not arrived at.

Jairam Ramesh and his think tank may not recall that during those 10 years, the then Assam MP and India's Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh did not visit Nagaland wherein the Naga issue was pending and resolving it would have added a major feather in the Congress cap.

After all, in 1986 the Mizo Accord came under the Rajiv Gandhi government and the same was the case with the Assam Accord.   

Of course Rahul Gandhi said at Kohima: “It (Framework Agreement) is a superficial document that says we are going to work towards peace and have joint sovereignty… it is not clear what exactly they mean.  A lot of the Naga organizations here simply are not clear what the Prime Minister was trying to do and what the way forward is". 

There is no falsehood in this statement.

But what next? If the Framework Agreement is a superficial pact; what about the Agreed Position? Is not the Congress leadership in Delhi aware of an umbrella body called the Naga National Political Group (NNPG) and should a Congress MP -- still ambitious to be India's Prime Minister - not care to know that a Governor (R N Ravi) was shunted out by the Modi government just because he raised the extortion bogey?

Rajiv and AASU leaders: Aug 15, 1985

These talking points did a vanishing act.

In the last 24 hours, the grapevine around 24 Akbar Road (AICC HQ) in Delhi is -- if Congress or the I.N.D.I alliance comes back to power; many regional leaders in Nagaland and northeast -- who are ex-Congressmen may also jump ships.

That means -- 'Country road take me home' -- the thematic song for NDPP --- a party of party hoppers and perhaps still pretending to be a champion of the cause of regionalism.

Not touching on the live wire issue of corruption in Nagaland might have given a big relief to the NDPP-BJP dispensation.

Do not forget, sometime back a little known Bihar MLC Dilip Jaiswal had said that the files of 17 senior officers from Nagaland are under ED scanner. Yet the Congress party's star campaigner went silent and Mr Jairam Ramesh was too glad to oblige the locals for snaps.

Hence, it is a fit case for the Rio cabinet now to pass a resolution thanking Rahul Gandhi for promoting tourism. And the resolution should be moved by Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton of BJP to be endorsed by the likes of T R Zeliang with a brief 'vote of thanks' from the Chief Minister Rio himself.

In the ultimate, this Yatra was educational for politicians and also journalists. The Ground Report from Nagaland tells you why 'No Yatras' can get Congress to understand what's going on ground. 

Journalists often in state capitals across India are advised by 'friends' not to pose embarrassing questions for the Chief Minister(s). I was advised on similar lines in Chandigarh, Mumbai and Gandhinagar.

During our time in the 1990s, there was no such 'wisdom' in Kohima. This time, it's sad local journalists could not grill even the Congress VVIP.

ends 

NNPG slams Naga Hoho, calls it 'directionless' 

 

“Strangely, these unprincipled few, who very often blames the past Congress governments for the Indo-Naga imbroglio, for once, cosied up to a visiting Congress leader and took potshots at current BJP government at the centre. Tomorrow the script is different. They will curse Congress party again and sing paeans to Prime Minister Modi,” the NNPG media cell said in a statement alluding to the Naga Hoho leaders submitting a memorandum to visting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.  

The NNPGs alleged that the Naga Hoho works to “keep bluffing Indian leaders and outside world using NH banner by parroting what is parroted to them in Hebron camp.” 

This, according to NNPG, is driving the Naga family further apart. “Selective memory on Indo-Naga issue by Naga Hoho and few recently formed high sounding forums is to thwart a just and honorable political solution. 

They write to mislead the GoI and prolong Naga people's aspiration. Their expression is clear that they exist to sow further discord and division in Naga homeland,” it claimed. 

The Naga people, irrespective of political and administrative boundaries, have all understood the political reality through the WC, NNPGs Status Paper, released to the Naga people after the official conclusion of negotiations on October 31, 2019, it stated. 

NNPG chief Kitovi Zhimomi 

A press release from the media cell of the WC, NNPGs said that the Naga Hoho President HK Zhimomi and General Secretary Elu Ndang “continue to sink further in the eyes of Nagas, making insensitive remarks sitting atop a directionless Hoho.” 

“The degenerated and biased narrative does not reflect the sentiment of the Naga people in any manner,” it claimed.  

The ruling and opposition party leaders in India, including Rahul Gandhi, and “every sane Naga” understands that GoI initiated and concluded political negotiations with two Naga entities, the NSCN (IM) with Framework Agreement as concluding document in 2015, and with WC, NNPGs with Agreed Position signed in 2017, as a preamble agreement allowing the negotiators to touch all core issues concerning Naga history, identity and political rights, the NNPG statement said. 

It said the that the Naga Hoho, if they really represented the Naga people, would have saved themselves from further embarrassment had they approached Rahul Gandhi with inclusive views on the Indo-Naga political issue.  

“Alas, each member clamoured to speak for himself serving the purpose of Hebron camp alone, which is nowhere a common Naga narrative,” the WC NNPGs said. It claimed that the Naga Hoho leaders “do not understand the head or tail of the Framework Agreement and its contents yet they had to appear all knowing.” 

NSCN-IM and NNPG leaders: Jan 2023