Naga political groups to state govt: Ensure Centre updates SC on peace talks status

The Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), which consists of seven organisations, called on the Nagaland government to take action and ensure that the Centre updates the Supreme Court regarding the current status of peace talks. 

The appeal comes in light of the Court's order concerning the delimitation process in the state, just days after the Supreme Court granted three months to the Centre to carry out delimitation exercise in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.

It must be mentioned that the NNPGs had inked a pact of Agreed Position with the Central government to find a solution to the Naga issue. 

In a letter to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, the NNPGs alleged that the Centre has not yet brought the status of the Naga peace talks to the court's attention.

The political negotiations concluded on October 31, 2019, and the government agreed to increase the number of seats in the Nagaland Assembly to 80 to provide representation of all the 17 tribes in the House and in the state Cabinet, it claimed.

“The number of Lok Sabha seats would be increased to three in addition to the existing single seat,” the letter maintained.

The NNPGs demanded that the state government take action to halt the delimitation process and convey the sentiment of the Naga people to the Centre, urging them to respect the historical and political agreements made in the peace talks.

In the letter, the NNPGs also said that a hearing of a PIL questioning the constitutionality of the Nagaland Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules and Regulations is scheduled to be held before a division bench of the Guwahati High Court on March 24.

The conglomerate asserted that the rules are part of the peace process and any court ruling on this might complicate the situation.

So, the Nagaland government, as a facilitator in the peace talks, should present the facts to the court that the subjects under consideration are part of political discussions and agreements, with some matters already settled, the NNPGs said in the letter.