Naga Peace talks and ex-Babus: ..... they said, noted and they also blundered

Vajpayee, Manmohan and Modi...all depended on 'retired club'. And hence, some show results, others go on merry-making trip.

New Delhi

"There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come....".

--- Ecclesiastes 1:11.

This scribe is amongst those who firmly believe one of the biggest hurdles in the country's development has been Babudom. The issue is more structural. The bureaucrats guide and misguide politicians lifelong. Often they play subservient and contribute to adding to the misgovernance facets and corruption lobby with red-tapes.

However, post-retirement they acquire a 'special wisdom'. It is not a case to suggest that none of them are talented and honest. 

Now, in the context of Naga peace talks -- what's common between the governments run by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi ? All three have depended on ex-Babus to resolve the oldest insurgency webcob.

Let’s not overstate the power of the 'I Am Sorry' club as well. But it goes without stating that K Padmanabhaiya, R S Pandey and RN Ravi and A K Mishra are former government officials.

Of course, needless to add that Ravi and Mishra are from the IPS fraternity
and were former spy-masters.

Let's face it; -- no government can solve India's problems without former government servants seems to be a well accepted Mantra.

A retired IAS officer and former Union Home Secretary, K Padmanabhaiya was
the second negotiator after Swaraj Kaushal, a senior legal eye. He was Home
Secretary when inexperienced netas H D Deve Gowda was PM and Indrajit Gupta
(a communist) was Home Minister.

Many say the lacuna in Naga peace talks procedures lay in the ambiguity from that era itself.

Nevertheless, as interlocutor Padmanabhaiya gave indulgence to the militant groups and talks happened across the globe.  

In 2000, Padmanabhiaya misled L K Advani (Home Minister) and the then PM Vajpayee to agree to the NSCN-IM demand for 'extension of ceasefire in Manipur'.

The move backfired resulting in violence and arson in Imphal valley and the centre revoked its orders. 

In 2000-01, the Vajpayee government then toyed with the idea of putting in a politician and former Lok Sabha Speaker, P A  Sangma, as the peace negotiator. Sangma's fellow Congress colleague Tarun Gogoi red-flagged it saying no active politician from the northeast should be given such a role.

Sangma was furious with both Vajpayee and Tarun Gogoi and he called
Vajpayee the "weakest Prime Minister".
Occasionally, the then Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir made use of G K Pillai, then Joint Secretary in
Home ministry, to pass on his set of questions, information and suggestions to L K Advani.
In 2001, the NSCN-K joined in the peace process. But Jamir's demands for making the 'agenda' of peace talks
between centre and NSCN-IM transparent were ignored perhaps deliberately.

Had the peace-talks agenda been 'made public' in the 1990s or even later, observers say we would not have had

headlines screaming in 2021-22 that the Naga peace talks have hit roadblock due to twin issues of Flag and

Constitution (Yehzabo).

Now the talks have entered the most critical phase and all eyes are on Formulations Paper(s). On

this new emissary A K Mishra, a former Special Director in IB, deserves credit for maintaining his

Brahminical calmness.

After Padmanabhaiya, the Manmohan Singh government tried politician Oscar Fernandes. But after the so-called

flip-flop with 'UT status' formula, the UPA also reposed faith in a former IAS officer - R S Pandey.

A former state Chief Secretary and Nagaland being his state cadre, it was presumed that

his approach would be different. The terminology Pan Naga Hoho was a creation of that era.

But, sources say Pandey often suffered PM Manmohan Singh's inconsistency

and hesitation to give 'political clearance'.

Pandey resigned in the run up to the 2014 general elections and joined the BJP.

Under Modi, right from the beginning it was former cop and spymaster NSA

Ajit Doval running the show vis-a-vis Naga talks.

Rajnath Singh as Home Minister did not interfere much. R N Ravi, a friend of Doval, was made the new

interlocutor. The NSCN (IM) never trusted Ravi but as the PMO put its foot down, talks went on.

Doval and Ravi worked on other fronts. The Naga National Political Group (NNPG), a conglomerate of seven Naga

groups, came forward under the leadership of R N Ravi.

On August 3, 2015, Ravi signed the Framework Agreement with Thuingaleng Muivah. 

Ravi also inked a pact titled 'Agreed Position or Preamble' with the NNPG on Nov 17, 2017.

Ravi later flagged off corruption and extortion. Eyebrows were raised and the centre gave in to arm

twisting and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio's lobbying to ease out Ravi to Tamil Nadu.

Rio's men even started tracking shenanigans of Tamil Nadu politics but now that the peace process is on a faster

track and everyone including NPF floor leader Kuzholuzo Azo Nienu says extortion is a major issue

of concern.

ends