Dimapur, May 23: Former Nagaland chief minister S.C. Jamir last night appealed to the Naga underground factions to join hands in making the peace process successful under the new government at the Centre. The senior AICC member and PCC chief reassured the collective leadership of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) that it could expect the Congress’s trust and all help from the party in the state as well as at the Centre.
His statement, issued last night, came on the day the new Congress-led government assumed office at the Centre. Pranab Mukherjee, tipped to be the new Union home minister, is likely to depend on his old friend from the Northeast, S.C. Jamir, to hammer out policies for the region.
Jamir said the Congress, unlike other political parties of the state, would strengthen the political process with a human face. “The Congress will never exploit such an important and delicate issue just to gain temporary political mileage.”
The former chief minister, in his statement, also expressed deep disappointment with some leaders of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) for constantly trying to distort the Congress stand in the ongoing political process.
Terming their attempt “unfortunate”, Jamir in a press communiqu? alleged that the DAN leaders were making such efforts only to gain immediate political mileage while ignoring the long-term damage they were causing to the Naga polity.
Jamir stated that the Congress treats all underground members as brothers and sisters of the Naga family. He added: “We have adopted the policy of equidistance from all of them and unless we maintain neutrality and act as an impartial facilitator for discussions, we shall not be able to play the role of an umpire.”
He said the priority of the Congress was to help expedite a political solution honourable and acceptable to all sections of the Naga community. “We believe the main agenda should be sorted out first with the Centre because everything would depend on the kind of political framework that would emerge as a result of the talks. The rest can be taken care of under that framework,” he said.
“The DAN may be jubilant over their victory in the previous two elections in the state. But they should remember that their victories are hollow and counter-productive, as they have caused immense damage to the sanctity of the Naga political cause,” Jamir said.