Govt of India takes serious cognizance of Jan 27 fracas

"Paradoxically, the Rio Govt has 'nationalists' BJP in power" 

New Delhi 

In the midst of BJP high command's unusual gestures and confidence shown to 'status quo politics' that suits certain quarters overt and covert, the Jan 27 fracas between Assam Rifles and the NSCN (IM) has virtually come at an odd time.

The government and its various wings have taken the matter with utmost seriousness and the issues have been discussed at concerned levels "in detail". The 'regrets' expressed by the NSCN-IM is only one part of the story and it need not be unilateral or purely voluntary, strategic observers suggest. 

A Lotha Naga soldier and my daughter: 1965 War Exhibition

"The incident has sparked outrage among senior officers of the Assam Rifles and the Army, who are planning to ask the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to warn the Naga insurgent group against such misadventure in future," says a report in 'Swarajyamag.com'.

A few meetings have taken place in Delhi and elsewhere and the men in camouflage feel it would not be prudent any longer to allow the "bushes to grow up in the Intangki" forest region.

Land is sacred in Nagaland like in any agrarian and traditional society. In October 2022, the Senior Citizens Association of Nagaland (SCAN) lambasted the inaction of the State government for failing to protect the Intangki National Park from being fully occupied by cadres of NSCN (IM). Paradoxically, the same state government now has the 'nationalists' BJP in power since 2018.

The latest round of 'revelation' is from an RTI response though the militant group has denied the allegation outright.

Last year during one of those turbulent days of negotiations with peace emissary A K Mishra, a senior NNPG functionary reportedly remarked, "The word integration is getting mistaken with 'Intanki-gretion' and the BJP government in the centre is unable to see that or is deliberately trying to play it down".

Likes of S C Jamir, former Gujarat Governor, and K K Sema, retired IAS officer, have more than once suggested that the issue in Nagaland could soon snowball into a row between insiders and outsiders.

"Taking everything on the table, concerned people and officials met on Jan 28 and 29 both in Nagaland and in Delhi. Things may not be very good for the status quo club of Nagaland " an informed source said.

The SCAN had articulated that - Nagaland cannot "whimsically" be converted into make-believe “Naga Nation” without integration for all Nagas from everywhere to share equal rights with the Nagas of Nagaland.

As usual, the NDPP spin masters may run to the neo-saviour called Himanta.  Land is strictly a state subject and here the state seems to have failed.

Serious consideration has been also made during the last two days to the October statement by SCAN. 

"....it is not the responsibility of the State of Nagaland (the NDPP-BJP-NPG regime) to promote mere population integration without land and rehabilitate our national workers belonging to other states with our aforesaid Intangki National Park," the SCAN had said. 

Many Nagas if not all have deep adoration of their 'land' they belong to -- their village, their district and that way even their state.

On the other hand, upholding the spirit of the Ceasefire inked in 1997 has "always" been the prime motive of the Security Forces. 

Now on this backdrop came a statement from an opposition party leader in Nagaland. He said, the recent fracas between forces and the militant body near Dimapur is a matter of concern. More so because it happened just on the eve of elections. 

Of course, he hastened to add that "In the context of elections in Nagaland, there is a big time money game and also a lot of muscle power and abuse of guns. This way you cannot ensure free and fair elections". 

In Delhi, stakeholders are getting more vocal. One of them said, "Now it is clear every action of theirs is indicative of the fact that they do not want a solution. High time that the Modi Govt should call their bluff and be firm in dealing with the wrong doers both politically and otherwise". 

 

NNPG's Kitovi: Concerned about 'Intanki-gretion'