Sept 12 Naga Consultative meet resolution implies that all three - Amit Shah, CM Rio and emissary Mishra have to quit

 “Writing sustains me, but would it not be more accurate to say that it sustains this sort of life? Of course, by this I do not mean that my life is better if I do not write." - Franz Kafka 

Born in Prague on July 3, 1883, Kafka died near Vienna on June 3rd, 1924. As expected he is out of fashion these days. But his oneliner seems to be relevant for my era of Journalism. 

I also perhaps do not mean that my life would have been better -- "if I do not write (or report)". 

But our kind of journalism has changed pretty fast. We are unable to keep pace with it and hence most of us are turning 'irrelevant'. But still when there are things happening - politically and socially -- and also at national level or in a tiny state like Nagaland - we 'feel' the demands. 

Mobile phone starts making noise - normal calls, SMS, whatsapp calls, video messages and even Facebook chat messages and calls. 

Nagaland Page

Thanks to the Wild Wild Web era the 'YouTube journalism' has taken over and continues its frenetic dance of political pandering and sensationalism.  Recently, I had first hand experience about the same on Sept 12th - the day Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio hosted a crucial Consultative meeting to discuss Peace parleys between the Naga rebels and the Govt of India which is headed by a pro-Hindutva Prime Minister.  

But in the ultimate, there is a 'mixed bag' take away.

There is a 'conspiracy theory' argument. Secondly, the 'power' of digital platforms surpasses all original powers of propaganda to inform or misinform. There is a risk being misled and divided. And thirdly, the consumers of the new media (and traditional news media) do not have any responsibility.  

There is a free for all stage. This brings the debate to the fourth and probably a more important issue. -- "Is it because people have lost confidence in journalism?" 

This has been told repeatedly in these columns, the real masters of democratic tradition and practice in Nagaland - simply have lost all interest in what's going around.  

Therefore, the onus is on the Govt of India and hence it needs to come out officially with its stand on the matter so that the utter confusion created by the Sept 12 resolution be removed.

In Nagaland, it is true the terms 'Facilitators' or 'facilitation' had become a household word for the present government, but they have been craftily misused. 

The reality is -- when Framework Agreement was inked on Aug 3, 2015, and also when the Agreed Position was given nod on Nov 17, 2017 - the so called Facilitators were left mere spectators. 

In the first case Rio (then Lok Sabha MP) was caught off-guard when papers were already signed by R N Ravi and Thuingaleng Muivah. None had bothered to tell him anything in advance. 

T R Zeliang, the then Chief Minister, air-dashed to Delhi a few days later and said, he would welcome the development. Importantly, he had said, "I am sure all other chief ministers in the north east would be also happy because on earlier occasions when Assam Accord or the Mizoram Accord were signed every Naga leader in Nagaland were happy". 

Three states surrounding Nagaland - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur had Congress chief ministers then and each one of them raised alarm. 

Rio and his friends got another shock in 2017 and many claimed that period (inking of the Agreed Position and revelation) of the Status Paper also marked "re-entry" of veteran S C Jamir into the whirlpool of nasty politics.   

But today, the implications of the resolution passed by the Consultative meeting at Kohima that was approved by the Chief Minister among others implies that the efforts of decades of negotiations have failed. 

If you need a minister to negotiate now; it means all parleys by 'interlocutors' Swaraj Kaushal, K. Padmanabhaiah, R S Pandey, Oscar Fernandes and R N Ravi and now A K Mishra ( as a special emissary reporting directly to Amit Shah) had no value.  

By this logic; A K Mishra as emisarry (or interlocutor), Amit Shah as Home Minister and Rio himself as the state's most surviving Chief Minister have to step down without further delay. Rio should also remember in 2020 his government has passed a resolution thanking Governor Ravi for his address wherein it was stated that the discussions with Naga rebel leaders were over. 

The Govt of India should ask the "handpicked" CM to clarify what he really wants.

As the dictum goes, no one should be allowed to take the entire people of Nagaland for a ride.