DIMAPUR, March 21 - The Naga Students Federation (NSF) today called upon the Naga negotiating teams to come on a common platform to solve the Naga issue.
The Centre and two Naga groups � the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) and the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) � are holding separate parleys to find a lasting solution to the issue. The talks are said to have concluded on October 31 last year, pending signing of the final agreement.
Greeting the Naga people on the �Naga Republic Day� which falls on March 22, the federation appealed to the Naga political groups to forge a unified front in the interest of those who will inherit the outcome of their political negotiation with the Centre.
�The future of the Naga society cannot be subjected to the nefarious whims of those seeking to divide and fragment us but should focus on confidence-building measures to enhance brotherhood and camaraderie,� it said.
The federation appealed to the leaders of all Naga political groups to put aside their ego, mistrust and everything that is preventing them from coming together as one entity.
�The time has come for both the negotiating teams to bring whatever has been agreed upon and mutually accepted, carry out deep-dive study, compare and contrast to deliberate the ones which will best serve the interest of the Naga people,� it stressed.
It said these leaders should be ably assisted by a panel of Naga experts who have a proven track record in the fields of politics, administration, finance, education, constitutional and developmental in order to ensure and cater to the socio-economic imbalances in all Naga-inhabited areas, as a �non-inclusive policy� would only make the entire process shallow. The federation said it was deeply saddened to see the ever-widening divide in the Naga society today.
�We can ill afford this during this critical juncture of our long political journey which has been sustained with blood, sweat and tears beyond borders by all the Nagas,� it said.
It appreciated the leadership of the NSCN-IM, NNPGs and all other Naga political groups for their contributions towards furthering the Naga cause. However, it said the palpable differences in ideology and approach among the groups have been doing the Naga society more harm than good despite all that they have achieved on different negotiating tables.
It is the collective aspiration of the Naga youth and the student community for both the negotiating groups to shed their differences and come on a common platform to find the best possible path and a solution for the Nagas in the present political circumstances.
