Niketu Iralu on Naga monotony

Newmai News Network

DIMAPUR, Aug 3: Every time any Naga based organisation or Naga leaders called on the Central leaders, there has been only one same stereotype response the government of India exhibits--"Naga solution will be settled at the earliest."And this "earliest settlement of Naga issue" has been going on in the last 15 years i.e. since 1997 when the ceasefire was signed officially for the first time.The latest of such assurance was just two days ago on Thursday when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was met by Nagaland Congress leaders in New Delhi. Similar assurance was also given by the Prime Minister to Lok Sabha MP from Nagaland CM Chang on July 2."It has become a bureaucratic response of the government of India. The government of India cannot do anything beyond that," rues noted Naga intellectual Niketu Iralu while talking to Newmai News Network this evening.To kill this monotony, noted Naga intellectual and peace activist Niketu Iralu opined today that the Nagas should go to the Indians instead of the government of India and arm them with the facts about the Nagas and their history.Niketu Iralu said politicians will come only for five years and they will be too pre-occupied with their politics and that they have no time for the Nagas."So the Nagas should go to the thinking Indians and inform them facts about the Nagas and their history. The Indians are the most useful audience for the Nagas. No doubt, ultimately it is the government of India who will execute the final work but once the Indians are armed with good knowledge about the facts on Nagas, things will be easier," opined Niketu Iralu."Nagas are not seccessionists. We are not anti-India. We are not hostile to India. Let the Indians know these facts," Iralu said.Late last year, the speculations had climaxed to the zenith that the protracted Naga political problem was about to be settled in a few months time. The speculations were even fueled by the comment of Union Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde who had said that "settlement" to the Naga issue would be brought about by March, 2013 or before the Nagaland assembly elections. That situation was even buttered it by the concerted show of the now-unheard Joint Legislature Forum (JLF) formed by the 60 MLAs of the Nagaland legislative assembly of the previous tenure to push for the early settlement of the Naga political proble.