NEW DELHI, Oct 24 - The crucial round of negotiations between the Centre and the NSCN(I-M) on Thursday ended on an inconclusive note. However, the two sides are again slated to meet ahead of the October 31 deadline set by the Centre.
�Today�s Indo-Naga talk was inconclusive with no breakthrough. Could not reach consensus. The fate of flag and constitution now lies upon the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,� sources said.
Sources informed that after over three hours of negotiations, both sides failed to come to any conclusion; however, it was informed that the next meeting with the NSCN(I-M) will again be held in the next few days.
The NSCN(I-M) was represented by a 15-member delegation and the Naga leadership continued their internal discussions even after conclusion of formal talks, sources added.
Sources said the Centre is meeting the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) tomorrow and the two sides may be steps away from hammering out an agreement.
Nagaland Governor and Centre�s interlocutor RN Ravi and NSCN(I-M) leadership led by Th Muivah failed to break the deadlock today over the demands of a separate flag and constitution besides unification of the Naga-inhabited areas.
The Centre had set a deadline of October 31 for settlement of the vexed Naga problem. One of the formulae extended by the Centre was to sign a memorandum of settlement first leaving out the contentious issues for settlement at a later date. The proposal was, however, rejected by the NSCN(I-M) leadership that stuck to its stand on separate flag and constitution.
The Centre suggested deferring the issue of flag and constitution to a later date after coming to a final settlement. �We will not compromise on the demand for a separate Naga flag and constitution,� the Naga leaders stressed.
