Musings: Muivah and his ways - He has 'friends' in mainstream India too

H D Deve Gowda was the first Indian Prime Minister who met Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chishi Swu, two rebel leaders, at Zurich in February 1997.

Now, he says: the Naga peace talks have run into 'rough weather'. Gowda said he hopes 'distrust is put aside' and a peace accord is reached at the earliest.

Normally, I try to pen musings on Independence and Republic Days keeping the entire national perspective and challenges confronted. But this year right through the last four days people in the national mainstream were either busy discussing Sushant Singh Rajput's mysterious death or they still discussed 'faultline Namo' or how virtuous crown prince Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka have been in handling 'junior Pilot'!

Who has a better chance to be the country's next Prime Minister - the brother or the sister? In the meantime, Bollywood of course got lost in the debate about 'Mafia' and 'nepotism'. One film trailer recorded 'most dislike' in the social media and hence we know which way the wind is probably blowing.

Muivah and Late Isak Swu

But some mortals like us - always keen about northeast India - were discussing, debating and remained 'concerned' about Nagaland.The peace talks that began in the mid-nineties have hit a roadblock. NSCN (IM) leader and 'chief' Thuingaleng Muivah now says,Nagas can co-exist with India but cannot merge.

"The Nagas will co exist with India sharing sovereign powers as agreed in the Framework Agreement and defined in the competencies. But they will not merge with India.We are not asking for Naga national flag and constitution from the Government of India. 

Recognize them or not, we have our own flag and constitution," Muivah said in his August 14 - 'Naga Independence Day' speech.

My immediate reaction to the recent developments is --- If things were so fundamental - why and how the talks lasted for last 23 years.

Apparently, India had made a climb down and said in the 1990s (first under PV Narasimha Rao and then under H D Deve Gowda) that talks will be held 'unconditionally'. Previously, the Government of India assertion used to be that talks can be held only under the 'parameters' of the Indian constitution.

Lately, if some people are getting surprised by the fact that a large section of Indian media is giving 'adequate space and importance' to the NSCN(IM) and even making veiled attacks on R N Ravi, a new punching bag in the entire episode -they need not be surprised.

Moveover the social media enthusiasts and media (some New Delhi-based neo-experts on northeast affairs), in the past too Muivah and his organisation had managed favourable media coverage and tacit support from prominent Indians.

Here, do I have a shocker, in 2000, as many as three former Prime Ministers once backed him?

"Three former Prime Ministers H D Deve Gowda, who first met Muivah along with Isak Chishi Swu (Late chairman of NSCN-IM) in February 1997 kicking off formal talks at Zurich, V P Singh and Chandrashekhar in a joint statement, requested the Thai government to release Muivah". (Courtesy - The Talking Guns: North East India penned by truly yours blogger Dev).

We will come to that shortly.

In 1997 when the Government of India had begun the peace parleys with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), it was presumed at certain quarters that slowly, the group would be persuaded to agree to the TINA factor - There is No Alternative to Peace and Solution.

But now it seems, the NSCN (IM) has a 'plan-B' ready - as some security analysts would say.

If the talks fail, they may have to opt for a different gear or switch button.

In my book published in 2008, my point was: "While the Government of India has brought him (Muivah) at the negotiating table, it has been very difficult to crack the diplomat’s mantle in him. 

He has been adopting a mixed approach for the dialogues, tough at times threatening to call off the talks and at times very soft willing to cooperate with the government, which often has been committing mistakes in parleys".

Now, when we talk of these 'mistakes' -- one really cannot blame Team Modi - essentially comprising Ajit Doval and RN Ravi for all the scenes that we have on the table in 2020.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee had appointed Sushma Swaraj's husband Swaraj Kaushal as the first negotiator. He could not make much progress. Next came - K Padmanabhaiya, a former Home Secretary. He allegedly found post-retirement rehabilitation.

Padmanabhaiya even reportedly declined to visit Nagaland. His favourite meeting place(s) used to be Bangkok or even Europe - of course at government's expense.

His biggest contribution was that in 1999, the two rebel leaders Muivah and Isak Chishi Swu visited Nagaland.
 
During that period (in 2001) Muivah had staged a sort of “Negotiated Coup”, when at Bangkok talks he could pursue the Vajpayee government to accept his long time desired goal to widen the scope of ceasefire to “all Naga inhabited areas”. 

Prior to that he applied arm-twisting, true to his style and mannerism, charging the government’s negotiator Padmanabhaiah with being in a “bureaucratic cocoon”.


But on a different plane, it was a 'cooperative Muivah', who had stayed on in the dialogue process after the government of India unilaterally withdrew from the Bangkok agreement to extend ceasefire to other Naga inhabited areas. This decision came
after Manipur burnt for a few days.

The Government’s decision followed the week-long rampage in Manipur, where ethnic Meiteis feared that the ceasefire would be interpreted in future by Muivah and the Government of India to 'disintegrate the state of Manipur' to accommodate Tangkhuls “within” Nagaland.


Mind you, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh yet another time asserted that no peace talks with Naga militants could 'disintegrate' his state.


True to his style, Muivah had also opposed the Government of India’s move for opening the dialogue channels with two other Naga underground factions NSCN (K) and Adino Phizo’s Federal Group (Government) of Nagaland.


In 2017 also, the Centre entered into a new pact with NNPGs - a conglomerate of multiple groups operating mostly' within the state of Nagaland'. But the NSCN (IM) remained in parleys.


Now, coming back to the missive of three former Prime Ministers - all illustrious in their own capacities - Deve Gowda, VP Singh and Chandrashekhar. Do you notice one common factor - all these 'great men' were SICKULAR' elderly boys of Indian politics and were perhaps waiting in the wings for 'better days' yet again. 

Even as late as 2018 - Deve Gowda or his son were eternally optimistic.

But here the issue is different. Let us debate the Naga issue.

It was ironic to see photographs appearing in the media about Muivah being in fetters in Bangkok. This was 2000.

He had been arrested on January 19, 2000 on the charge of carrying a false South Korean passport after he stepped off Thai Airways flight TG 508 on arrival at Bangkok from Karachi.

He was released on bail but was again held on January 30 at the Hay Yai airport on possessing another false passport.

His arrest, the underground camp alleged, was after the Indian intelligence Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) became “hyper sensitive”. The detention and the legal case pursued at Ratchadaphisek court had put a question mark on the fate of the peace talks with the Vajpayee government.

Beautiful Nagaland

Muivah’s parleys with Pakistan and reported meeting with ISI’s Lt Gen Usmani had stunned New Delhi especially after he had been participating in the peace talks. 

Moreover, India’s relations with Pakistan had collapsed following the Kargil conflict and hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight in December 1999.

What had particularly irked the government (NDA-I) was that a younger associate who was in-charge of 'arms purchase' from foreign countries accompanied Muivah.

But somehow the negotiations were not harmed.

In my book, I had also noted: "How much Muivah is romanticised could be felt only when during his passport defiance trial in Bangkok, a host of civil liberty activists and journalists from Delhi Nandita Haksar, Justice (Retd) Rajinder Sachchar and Bharat Bhushan, then Executive Editor with ‘The Hindustan Times’ had paid him a visit at the trial room". 


Bhushan even had serialised his news dispatches eulogising the rebel leader.

Of course, I have also personally measured Muivah as a shrewd operator.

It goes without saying that during his younger days, Muivah along with Gen Thenosilie (of NNC),
had staged “Long March” braving through jungles and reached Yunnan Province opening the 'China gate' for making the insurgency in northeast murkier. Once, he was a crucial South Asian militant leader.

Ends

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