Asserting that the agreement will not affect non-Nagas and will resolve the problems of North-East, Mr. Zeliang said that he speak to other chief ministers of the region.
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Zeliang said the Naga peace pact is in line with the demand of Nagas for autonomy.
Government is willing to consider autonomous Hill councils to help Nagas achieve cultural integration and have more say in how they are governed.
The Naga peace accord, between the central government and the NSCN-IM, was signed here on August 3 in the presence of the prime minister. “It is important that there is no political influence in the entire issue”, he said.
He said the 16-member Naga delegation, which will visit Myanmar to meet Khaplang, has already received clearance from the Home Ministry.
She charged the Modi dispensation with being “arrogant” in not briefing Congress chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam despite their states being “directly affected” by the pact.
He further stated that the Government of India would invite the state governments for discussion while working out the final shape of the accord.
The news alerted all states in the North East, as a “solution” as per the NSCN(IM) position lay in sovereignty and the creation of a Greater Nagaland, carved out of the other states with a substantial Naga population. According to the Manipur chief minister, he called up Home Minister Rajnath Singh and wanted to know about the accord and he said he will give full text, but “we didn’t get any till this moment”.
Rajnath Singh assured Ibobi Singh that the accord was just a framework and that it would not affect the territorial boundary of the neighbouring states. They have returned to their states with the assurance from the top echelons of the government that they will be part of the final decision.
He said Modi did not even consult any of the three senior-most chief ministers – Tarun Gogoi of Assam, Nabam Tuki of Arunachal Pradesh and Ibobi Singh of Manipur. The impression given to the media in attendance was that the accord being discussed for years now with the NSCN (IM) had finally been agreed upon, and as PM Modi tweeted “today, we mark not merely the end of a problem but the beginning of a new future”.
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The three chief ministers have declared that they will not cede an inch of land for the accord. While Manipur already has an autonomous set up for the Naga-inhabited areas in five hill districts, Arunachal Pradesh had earlier submitted a proposal to the Centre for an autonomous set up in the Naga-inhabited areas of the state.
