Meet Highlights Potential of Northeast

The Governor called for opportunities to link South East Asia and India under a common framework of FTA.

Kolkata, Apr 13 : A two-day international seminar on ‘From Land-locked to Land-linked Northeast India in BIMSTEC' (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was inaugurated at the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Campus in Shillong, Meghalaya, on Friday. Organized by the Jadavpur Association of International Relations (JAIR) in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the seminar is being supported by The Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs.

Delivering the keynote address, Dr Sashi Tharoor, Minister of State for External Affairs, opined that sensitization of various issues affecting better linkages of North-East with broader canvass of South East Asia was needed for faster development. The strategic location of the land-locked North East made it the doorway to South East and East Asia and vice versa, a doorway for these economies into India, he said.

Vision 2020

Referring to the path-breaking North Eastern Region Vision 2020 envisaged by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in July 2008, Dr Tharoor explained the various packages, which contained important infrastructure and power projects. He mentioned that a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) within the BIMSTEC framework was currently under discussion while a BIMSTEC Energy Centre and a Weather and Climate Centre had also been proposed to be established in India. India has also offered 330 annual training slots to BIMSTEC countries under the Technical Economic Co-operation Programme.

According to Dr Tharoor, the most critical link would be to create road connectivity from the Northeast India through Myanmar into South East Asia. In this connection, the Trilateral Highway Project between India, Myanmar and Thailand is under construction. Efforts were underway to improve infrastructure, at the second India – Myanmar border trade point at Phi-Zowkhathar in Mizoram sector by up gradation of the Rhi-Tidim and Rhi- Falam road segments in Myanmar.

Besides road links, efforts of developing rail link from Jiribam in Assam to Hanoi in Vietnam passing through Myanmar is also under way. Digital connectivity is another area where work is being carried on particularly through optical fiber cable link between Moreh in Manipur and Mandalay in Myanmar.

Vast diversity

In his Inaugural address, Mr Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, Governor of Meghalaya, alluded to the vast richness of this part of India. He mentioned that though the North Eastern States together occupies about 8 per cent of the country's geographical area where only 3 per cent of the country's population resides, yet it is this region which shares international borders with five neighboring nations and houses about 200 ethnic groups, languages and dialects. He also opined that the Look East Policy taken by the Government of India in 1992 has been a very significant step breaking the erstwhile parasitic mindset of the custom of subsidies.

He also called for further opportunities to link South East Asia and India under a common framework of FTA and if possible by a common currency system alike the European Union.

Mr Dipankar Chatterji, Chairman, CII, North – East Council; Prof Radharaman Chakrabarti, All India President, Jadavpur Association of International Relations; Mr Navdeep S. Suri, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs; Mr Krit Kraichiti, Ambassador of Thailand to India; Mr Tariq Ahmad Karim, High Commissioner of Bangladesh; Mr U Kyi Thein, Ambassador of Myanmar also addressed the seminar.

A Red-Letter Day For Churachandpur District Today

Imphal, Apr 13 : April 12, Tuesday, 2010 will remain as a red-letter day in the history of Manipur in general, and Churachandpur district in particular.This day will be a special day for the All India Radio too.

For, the All India Radio Churachandpur station will be officially inaugurated tomorrow after 10 years of completion of the construction of the station complex, and having all the necessary machineries, equipments and staffs.

State Chief Minister Okram Ibobi will inaugurate the station at a glittering function to be held on the premises of the radio station at Churachandpur tomorrow morning.

Minister of Power, Horticulture & Soil Conservation, Science & Technology, Phungzathang Tonsing, Minister of PHED, Information & Public Relations and Tourism, TN Haokip and other MLAs of assembly constituencies of Churachandpur district are expected to be present on the historic occasion.

Deputy Director General, All India Radio, North East Region-II, C Lalrosanga will also attend the function.

He has been camping in Imphal for the past three days specially for the inauguration of the Churachandpur station of AIR.

Chief Minister Ibobi will announce the most eagerly awaited "link-language" of the AIR Churachandpur station during the inaugural function tomorrow.

It is worth mentioning here that preparations for commissioning the AIR Churachandpur station were completed way back in 2000 .

However, due to a dispute regarding which dialect would be the link-language, the commissioning of the station had remained postponed for the last almost 10 years.

Earlier, Prasar Bharti had approved Paite dialect as the link-language of the station. But controversy arose, and commissioning of the AIR Churachandpur station could not materialize. The matter was taken to Gauhati High Court.

The High Court later ordered that the decision on which dialect should be the link-language of the AIR Churachandpur should be taken by the Government of Manipur.

After years of procrastination, for fear of treading on communal sentiments, the Government of Manipur under the leadership of Chief Minister O Ibobi has recently taken a bold decision to commission the AIR Churachandpur station.

Most reliable sources told this newspaper that the State Cabinet recently took the decision on which dialect should be the link-language of the station.

However, due to fear of a possible communal backlash, the authority decided that it would be the best to keep the link-language as a secret till the inauguration, when the Chief Minister himself would make the historic announcement.

Sources said that the earlier dispute regarding the link-language had been solved under the initiative of Chief Minister O Ibobi. That is how the AIR Churachandpur station is going to be inaugurated tomorrow, the sources said.

Deputy Director General, AIR NE Region-II C Lalrosanga told this newspaper that the All India Radio would go along with the decision on the link-language taken by the Government of Manipur.

Superintending Engineer of AIR Imphal, Md Kamaruddin told the Hueiyen Lanpao that the AIR Churachandpur is going to be an independent radio station, with its own station director, programme executives, staffs and all.

It's not going to be a local branch of AIR Imphal. To start with the programs, the AIR Churachandpur will relay the programs of FM Rainbow of New Delhi from 4 pm to 5.30 pm.

From 5.30 pm onward, direct local programs will be broadcast. The daily programs will start from 4pm and close at 9.30 pm. The AIR Churachandpur station will cover the entire district.

[ via Hueiyen News Service ]

Reduced Militancy Providing Relief to Northeast People

Guwahati / Kohima, Apr 13 : People in the Northeast can have a sigh of relief as militancy appears to be on the way out. According to the Centre, the region has never been as peaceful as this since January 2009.

As per the Union Home Ministry's data for six northeastern states, excluding Mizoram, the last 15 months have witnessed lowest number of civilian and security force casualties since January 2000.

In this, the Nagaland has witnessed dramatic change. In 2010, Nagaland did not witness a single militant related casualty. The death toll declined from 213, including 140 extremists in 2008 to 31 in 2009.

Credit for this is attributed to the ceasefire agreement between National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN -IM) and the Union Government.
People have are of the opinion that militants should join the mainstream and renounce violence.

"With peace and harmony coming back to Nagaland, a lot of development has taken place and when it was back 5-10 years and I urge all the right seeking people to come and join mainstream," said Pezanguli, a local, Nagaland

With the ceasefire agreement, developmental activities in Nagaland are in full swing. "The place was much more developed 10 years back, there were so many conflicts and because of that development was not done. There is not much killing so I should say the place is much developed," said Pfoshuo Ariicho, a local, Nagaland.

The situation is Assam and Tripura has also improved a lot. The ongoing efforts of the Centre to bring United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to the negotiating table and ensure the surrender of groups like the KLNLF and the DHD (J) has given hope to the people of the region.

Now, there were 424 incidents of insurgency, which resulted in 174 deaths of civilians and security personnel in 2009. The forces eliminated 194 extremists, the highest since 2003. In Assam also there is a considerable reduction in militant incidents.

"If I look back few years back, the security situation was really bad in the state. There were too many bomb blasts and in the morning when we used to see the newspaper, we get scared to go to office or anywhere but now things have changed and violent activities have come down," said Pushpa Gogoi, a local, Assam

Low militancy levels has given a great relief to locals. "It is a matter of great relief that there is a decline in level of insurgency and there has been a good amount of minimization insurgent activities in the last few months and we have to be grateful to the peace prevailing and thank government of India and peoples group working towards it," said S Barua, Jorhat.

Among all northeastern states, Manipur continues to be worst affected. Militant groups active in the state are responsible for instability and violence.
Blasts, extortion, hurling grenades in markets and at residences are a common strategy of militants to terrorize the people.

However the people here want an end to bloodshed and have expressed their complete faith in the constitutional framework of the country.
Most of militant groups are indulging in extortion.

"Regarding militancy in Manipur, there is less insurgency but a kind of extortion is going on and on this point, there are so many gangs and groups are coming only for money," said L Regald Singh, a student, Manipur

"When we see the violent activities committed by the different sections of antisocial elements and militants, then we say extortion case, demand or kidnapping. I think the economic factor comes in between as militants are not guided by the ideology and the antisocial elements are committed into it mainly for money," said Ksh Bimola Devi, Professor, Manipur University

Northeast has long been affected by militant activities and this has led to a delay in the development of the region. But it seems the situation is changing. And as peace and normalcy return, developmental work will certainly gain momentum.

Tastes of India, by New Delhi Taxi

This is how travel writers write about us...and places in India...

Keith Bedford for The New York Times

Like those of the other 27 states, the cafeteria at Andhra Pradesh's center in the capital serves its regional cuisine.

By AMY YEE

WITH its fluorescent lights and laminate tables, the little restaurant near the shuttered Chanakya Cinema looked like any no-frills canteen found throughout the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Diners bought copies of the Daily Thanthi newspaper, written in the curlicue script of Tamil. A small statue of Balaji, a deity worshiped in southern India, sat snugly on the counter. And the food was rich with the crepe-like dosas for which the region is known.

Young families and hungry bachelors were digging into uttapam, a kind of Tamil pancake flecked with coconut and green chili; paratha, a flaky and buttery bread served on a stainless steel plate; and lamb biryani, a mound of spicy rice topped with a shiny boiled egg.

But the Tamil Nadu House, a ziggurat-shaped concrete building where this 18-table restaurant is located, is nowhere near the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal. Rather, it is tucked in an affluent neighborhood of New Delhi where it’s possible to sample India’s entire culinary landscape by taxi.

Each of India’s 28 states has its own government-run house for state affairs, known as a bhavan, in the bustling capital city of New Delhi. And most of the bhavans have a canteen that specializes in regional cuisine, whether it’s the coconut-infused dishes of the southwest state of Kerala, or the Chinese-style momos, or dumplings, of Sikkim in the northeast.

Nearly all the bhavans are clustered in the leafy streets of Chanakyapuri, the capital’s diplomatic area, so an adventurous eater can embark on a gastronomic survey of India without leaving the neighborhood. While not all the canteens are open to the public, most welcome walk-ins. An even bigger draw is the price: in a city that is expensive by Indian standards, a meal for two at a bhavan rarely exceeds 300 rupees, or about $7.

Among the most popular is the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan, which serves the fiery fare that this southern Indian state is known for. Situated in a squat, white plaster building near the triumphant India Gate, the bhavan is a minor attraction in its own right.

On a cool Sunday evening last month, the two-level cafeteria was packed. The boisterous chatter of families, couples and young friends echoed off the white-tiled walls. The 200 seats were filled, except for two granite-topped tables upstairs, reserved for members of parliament from Andhra Pradesh.

Dinner in this fluorescent-lighted space was a loud and harried affair. Men in white shirts and black pants directed new customers with the efficiency of traffic cops, shepherding them to tables as soon as they became vacant. There is a set meal, along with à la carte dishes that can be ordered from roving servers.

A thali, or sampling of dishes, was served on a metal platter with indentations that resembled a painter’s palette, as well as in small metal bowls. They included a curry of miniature eggplant smothered in a piquant gravy; a pale groundnut chutney reminiscent of peanut butter; sambar, a watery lentil broth; rasam, a tangy tomato broth flavored with tamarind; cooling yogurt; and a double ka meeta, a special Andhra bread pudding soaked in cream, sugar and ghee.

Andhra Pradesh is also famous for its biryani: basmati rice cooked with spices and a choice of mutton, chicken, vegetables or egg. The waiters circled the cafeteria, serving generous mounds of plain white rice, chapati and crispy round papad.

The best part of the meal may be the end: the all-you-can-eat dinner is just 80 rupees a person, about $1.80 at 45 rupees to the dollar.

While the rice dishes of Andhra Pradesh may be familiar, the food of Jammu and Kashmir — the northernmost state of India situated in the Himalaya mountains — is less so. It is also India’s only state with a Muslim majority, and spicy kebabs and lamb dishes are its signature.

Jammu and Kashmir House occupies a small compound on a tree-lined road near the Samrat Hotel in Chanakyapuri, with several three-story red brick buildings. Its driveway is lined with the white Ambassador sedans used by government officials.

One building holds the dining room, which has tile floors and white walls that are sparsely decorated with faded pictures of Kashmir’s snow-capped mountains. Curtains were drawn over large floor-to-ceiling windows. On a Thursday night, the six big wooden tables were occupied by men in taqiyahs, the caps worn by some Muslims.

There is no menu, so customers simply eat what the kitchen has prepared that day. On a recent visit, that included tender seekh kebabs, made with lamb and roasted with cumin and chili; moist lamb kofta in an oily pool of tomato and chili sauce; and haak saag, a dark, leafy green popular in Kashmir that was simply stir-fried.

It’s not hard to find kebabs in Delhi, but dining at Jammu and Kashmir House offers the special treat of eating from a ceramic plate with the state seal: a lotus and two swans. Still, the no-frills canteen is a far cry from the idyllic landscapes of Kashmir.

Not all the bhavans are so utilitarian. Nagaland in northeast India is one of the country’s smallest and most remote states — so it was surprising that the dining room at Nagaland House was relatively formal. Housed in a three-story white villa with green trim on Aurangzeb Road, a fancy boulevard lined with expensive homes and government residences, the canteen had five tables that were covered with white tablecloths and lavender place mats laid with cutlery and ceramic plates.

Nagaland is known for its green mountains and the folk traditions of the Naga people. But tourists need permits to visit — the state is plagued by rebel insurgencies — so a visit to the canteen may be the closest that many people will ever get to tasting Naga specialties like smoked pork stir-fried with bamboo shoots, and pork stewed with nushi, the leaf of a local yam. Unlike in most of India, pork is eaten with zeal in Nagaland.

On a recent Monday evening, a waiter in a gray uniform attended to a largely empty dining room. Tourist photos of Nagaland hung in the lobby. Outside, there were no green mountains, just an endless stream of traffic to remind diners they were still in Delhi.

IF YOU GO

Andhra Pradesh Bhavan (1 Ashoka Road, near India Gate; 91-11-2338-7499; aponline.gov.in/apportal/apbhavandotcom/Location.htm) is among the most popular spots. Open daily 7:30 to 10 a.m.; noon to 3 p.m.; 7:30 to 10 p.m. Dinner for two, about 160 rupees, or about $3.65.

Assam Bhavan (1 Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri; 91-11-2687-7111), in a small basement, serves fish and unusual vegetarian dishes like custard apple curry. Daily 1 to 2:30 p.m.; 8:30 to 10 p.m. Meal for two, about 120 rupees.

Jammu and Kashmir House (9 Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri; 91-11-2611-2021) is known for its lamb kebabs. Not to be confused with Jammu and Kashmir Bhavan. Daily 7 to 9 a.m.; noon to 2 p.m.; 7 to 10 p.m. Meal for two, about 180 rupees.

Kerala House (3 Jantar Mantar Road, near Jantar Mantar; 91-11-3041-1411) serves coconut-infused dishes in a peaceful setting. Though it is not officially open to the public, walk-ins are welcome. Daily 8 to 9:30 a.m.; 1 to 2:30 p.m.; 8 to 9:30 p.m. Meal for two, 80 rupees.

Nagaland House (29 Aurangzeb Road, near Delhi Race Course; 91-11-2301-5638) serves unusual pork dishes favored in this remote northeast state. Daily 8:30 to 11 a.m.; noon to 2 p.m.; 7 to 10 p.m. Meal for two, 220 rupees.

Sikkim House (14 Panchsheel Marg; Chanakyapuri; 91-11-2611-5171), across from the United States Embassy, draws the diplomat set. Daily 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.; 12:30 to 11 p.m. Meal for two, about 250 rupees.

Tamil Nadu House (Off Africa Avenue; Chanakyapuri; 91-11-2419-3100) serves South Indian fare in a basic canteen. Daily 8 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Meal for two, about 150 rupees.

Hundreds Dying in Northeast India From AIDS

Guwahati, Apr 13 : A large number of people in India's northeast living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are struggling for survival. Hundreds are dying with no access to treatment.

’People are dying regularly and suffering a lot, unable to access Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) because such medicines are very expensive,’ said Dipak Singh, president of the Manipur Network of Positive People (MNPP).” A large number of people in India’s northeast living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are struggling for survival. Hundreds are dying with no access to treatment.

”People are dying regularly and suffering a lot, unable to access Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) because such medicines are very expensive,” said Dipak Singh, president of the Manipur Network of Positive People (MNPP).

Two MNPP members died earlier this week allegedly due to lack of medication. ”Hundreds have died with no access to treatment,” Singh said.

Although it is not a cure, ART is a combination of medicines that helps a person living with HIV to fight off infections and live a longer life.

Besides, ART also significantly impacts transmission by reducing the viral load concentration and minimizing risk of transmission to their sexual partners.

A person living with HIV requires drugs worth about Rs.1,200-1,600 a month and the cost doubles if someone has to go for second line therapies depending on the nature of their immune system.

India accounts for about 5.2 million HIV-positive people, second only to South Africa. The northeast has been declared as one of the country’s high-risk zones with close to 100,000 people infected with the virus.

The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), India’s apex government agency to combat HIV/AIDS, admitted in a recent report that non-availability of adequate ART in the northeast was a matter of concern.

Fashion Designing Catching The Fancy of Northeast Youngsters

By Peter Alex Todd and Peter Chachei

Guwahati / Kohima, Apr 13 : The fashion industry in India's northeast region is looking up with militancy on the wane. The industry is actualizing its potential, not just in trade and commerce, but also in terms of style.

Mega Miss Northeast Industry Managing Director Abhijit Sinha said: "Being nostalgic, getting back to 8 years from now, I have started the fashion and beauty industry. It has grown in an immense way."

Fashion designing institutes like the NIFT, the Guwahati Institute Fashion Technology, and the J.D Fashion Institute and the MORPH are grooming students in this field.

Students feel that the scope for the fashion industry in northeast India is good. "It seems that in Assam, there is good scope. Competition will be there and development can also take place in Assam," said one student.

Fashion designers from Northeast have made their presence felt across the country.

For example, Atsu Sekhose, a young Naga designer recently showcased his collection at the Wills lifestyle India Fashion Week.

Aien Longchar, another Naga fashion designer trained at the JD Institute of Fashion Technology in Assam is now successfully promoting her brand "Blizz" in Nagaland.

"With peace and harmony returning, the industry is slowly growing. Moreover, a peace talk is being continued and I hope it will bring positive results.

So, only after this, not only fashion industry but also other industries will also flourish," said Longchar. Modeling too is also gaining popularity.

Monikangna Dutta, Esther Jamir, and Cyndy Khojol are a few big names in the world of fashion from northeast.

Recently, Sangeeta Phukon, a model from Jorhat, won the Miss Barak contest in Manipur. Young models of the northeast are even planning to contest in the Miss India competition.

"I feel very happy after winning this contest and want to represent northeast in Femina Miss India," said Sangeeta Phukon, model.

"Ten years back, fashion was not given much importance. But now, I think we can see around people of Nagaland are so fashionable. They are really interested in fashion. They have so much talent in modeling, looks and height, said Chonchibeni, a model from Nagaland

The way things are changing in the northeast, it would not be surprising to see a greater contribution from the region in the years to come.

Nobody Cares About The Tribals or Our Jawans

By Deepti Lamba

The war between the Naxals and the government of India looks like an 80s film script where the browbeaten common man picks up the rifle against the corrupt cop, zamindar or the politician. The only difference is that the bloodshed is real and while the nation understands the cry for basic human rights the means of protest is unacceptable.

The death of 75 jawans by the Naxals reflects the grim reality that the government has no grassroots intelligence in the area and their militiary tactics are ill thought. The use of air power in a Bush-style shock and awe campaign in the sultry forests would probably be as sucessful as the US air raids in Afghanistan where despite assurances, the collateral damage is far more than the successful routing out of Taliban.

In the past, the notorious thugs of Chambal like Gabbar Singh, Amritlal and Sripalal etc were routed out not only because of the bravery of the constables and their officers but due to the courage of the common man who had faith in the local government machinery and thus gave timely information about the whereabouts of the dacoits.

Back in the fifties and sixties, the dacoits hold over the villagers in the Ghats was terror based and currently the Naxals hold over the tribals is ideology based which is mainly grounded in the alienation of the tribals by the apathetic corrupt local bureaucracy and police force.

On the heels of our esteemed home minister's visit to the Naxal stronghold came a tragedy of horrific proportions where 75 jawans of the CRPF were slaughtered in Dantewada, showing that hard words and guns cannot be the entire solution.

Apart from fighting the Naxals, the tribal grievances should be addressed, fair trials should be held against those charged with exploitation and basic human rights such as clean water, electricity, housing and schools should be provided to them.
,
Instead of fighting over where the buck stops the center and state governments need to chalk out comprehensive plans to deal with the malaise and provide better support to our jawans. As B Raman notes in his sage analysis, this is not just about more aggressive or effective counter-insurgency,

This is not the first incident of butchery of the security forces in the history of our counter-insurgency operations. This will not be the last unless and until we realize that counter-insurgency is not only about putting down violence against the State and Society, but also about making resort to violence unnecessary by addressing the problems and grievances of the tribals.

It would be very easy to dismiss the Maoist insurgency as the political manipulation of illiterate or semi-literate tribals by Maoist ideologues from cities to achieve political power through the barrel of the gun. Yes, there is an element of cynical political manipulation of the tribals by many city-bred Maoist ideologues.

But the claim of political manipulation alone cannot explain how hundreds and hundreds of tribals are flocking to the banners of the Maoists. Intense anger over the failures of successive Governments to recognize and address their problems are driving them to heed the calls of the ideologues to massacre their perceived class enemies. Unless and until we have a two-pronged approach to the problem---better counter-insurgency to put down violence and better governance and administration to remove the exploitation of the tribals by the non-tribals and improve their quality of life, blood will continue to flow in the jungles and roads of the tribal homelands in Central India.

The British suppressed thuggery with a firm hand and also benevolent resident adminstrators in the far-flung areas as pointed out by K F Rustamji in The British, The Bandits and The Bordermen. Nehru, for his part, established the Indian Frontier Adminstration Service to provide direct interaction with Andaman and North East tribals. Perhaps we need a new committed force constituted of able and committed bureaucrats, fair security administrators and educated tribal representatives for a multi-modal mission of restoration. Let us move to Reconstruction and circumvent the Civil War.

Deepti Lamba is an author, besides editing at Desicritics



[ via Desicritics ]

Time to Give Decisive Inputs

By Oken Jeet sandham

For the first time in the history of Nagaland Assembly sessions, the Members particularly from Opposition Bench have not touched the Naga political issue in the recently concluded Session.

Normally the Naga political issue dominates the proceedings of the House blaming one another between the ruling and the opposition. But this time, since the Opposition has not raised any issue relating to the ongoing Naga peace process between the Government of India and the Naga underground leaders, the ruling side has not talked of.

Rather the Opposition appreciated the Home Minister this time for maintaining law and order and reducing the factional killings in the state.

In fact, the House instead should have chalked out a very concrete step where they can throw their ideas and thoughts on the ongoing peace process between the Government of India and the Naga underground leaders.

Because the process has reached a very crucial phase following the Government of India’s open declaration that the long drawn out Naga political issue would find solution in 12 to 24 months.

At the same time, the Government of India has also made it very clear that the final solution to the Naga political issue would only come about by holding talks to the entire Naga underground groups.

The above statements are very clear that things are coming to crucial stage. The civil societies, NGOs and the Government have been playing their role over the years and have been complaining against the delay of finding solution to the vexed Naga political issue.

They also echoed their worries on many occasions on the factional violence that claimed numerous innocent lives. The Nagas have been yearning for peace and unity amongst the various factions of the Naga underground organizations.

The normalcy returned in the state had been appreciated by many including Opposition Congress and the Government of India as well.

At the same time, NSCN (IM) General Secretary Th Muivah has heaped praises on the Indian leaders especially the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, saying they were serious this time to resolve the Naga issue.

We should not only talk of the Naga issue when there are in bad shape but we should also talks when they are in positive development. But the recent Nagaland Assembly Session has failed to discuss the matter as to how they could play their part at this critical juncture.

Some weeks back, the State Home Minister Imkong L Imchen expressed his appreciation to the leaderships of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram and also newly appointed interlocutor RS Pandey for their sincerity towards finding solution to the Naga political issue this time round.

Yet, he made it a very decisive but fundamental statement that is likely to be the last medicine for the entire Nagas while they enter into a final settlement of their longstanding problem. It is “Common Agenda” that is to be drawn up to be the basis for talks with New Delhi.

He or the Government cannot be a party to the talks but what he elucidated was the Naga intelligentsia should help provide inputs to the wisdom of the Naga national workers who are now talking with the Government of India to frame a “Common Agenda.”

This is very important and since the talks between the Government of India and the Naga underground leaders reached to a very decisive stage, it is now time for the Naga over-ground leaders, civil society, NGOs and intelligentsia to come forward in helping the Naga underground leaders in framing the “Common Agenda.”

Unfortunately, when the Government of India has openly stated that solution would find in 12 to 24 months, nobody on the Floor of the House in the just concluded Session touched the point. I think it will not be too long to see a Special Assembly Session to discuss on this crucial issue as things are fast coming to close towards the Government of India’s deadline of finding solution.

[ via Asian Tribune ]