Politics / Nagaland

NEW DELHI, Jan 28 ? Bickering over the seat sharing arrangements among the non-Congress and non-Left parties in Nagaland continues, with the BJP yet undecided on joining the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN). The party is likely to take a final decision at the meeting of its Central election Commission (CEC) here tomorrow.

Announcing this, national president of the BJP, M Venkhaiah Naidu said that the CEC meeting would also finalise its poll strategy as well as its list of candidates in all the four States going to polls next month. Even as the BJP bargains for few seats in Nagaland...

Kohima, Jan. 27: Kihoto Hollohon, a former aide to Nagaland chief minister S.C. Jamir, is now all set to contest the Assembly elections after a gap of five years. But the former industries minister will not be with Jamir this time and may join his cousin, K.L. Chishi, another former chief minister and Jamir?s arch rival.

Hollohon was in the news when his wife and family members were killed in a car bomb blast triggered by militants on December 25, 1996. Since then he had taken a sabbatical from active politics.

?My interest is only the Naga problem,? the former minister told The Telegraph...

AIZAWL, Jan 24 ? Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, who has been involved in the Naga peace deal, Friday claimed he salvaged the Centre- NSCN(IM) talks in New Delhi Thursday by intervening at the right time, reports PTI.

Addressing party workers who received him in front of the office of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) party, Zoramthanga said the NSCN (IM) leaders were angered by the statement of Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh to the media that he was assured by the Prime Minister that Manipur would not be divided. ?The NSCN leaders, who were all set to leave Delhi for Amsterdam...

Dimapur, Jan. 25: With the Nagaland poll scene hotting up, the NSCN(K) has accused its rival, the NSCN (Isak-Muivah), of issuing death threats to non-Nagaland People?s Front candidates, particularly those belonging to the ruling Congress.

The NSCN(K)?s ?home secretary? Hokato Vushe told The Telegraph: ?At least seven Congress candidates around Dimapur had been telephoned by a deputy kilonser (minister) of the NSCN(I-M) on January 22 and 23, who warned them of dire consequences if they did not quit the Congress and join the NPF. They were warned that their hands and legs would be smashed if...

ITANAGAR, Jan 24? Arunachal Pradesh had never been a party in the peace talks between the Centre and the NSCN(I-M) and would never compromise with its territorial integrity, State Chief Minister Mukut Mithi said today, reports PTI. In the name of ?Greater Nagaland?, the NSCN had no scope to demand the territory of Arunachal Pradesh as the area was never part of Nagaland, the Chief Minister told PTI after a swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan Friday.

The government of Arunachal Pradesh, he said, had already made its stand clear by adopting a unanimous resolution in the assembly in...

IMPHAL, Jan 25 ?Chief Minister Okram Ibobi today reiterated that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had assured a team of all political parties of Manipur that Centre had no plan to re-draw the territorial boundary of Manipur. Chief Minister Ibobi who returned here this afternoon along with leaders of the political parties after camping in New Delhi for more than five days while quoting the Prime Minister said : ?Prime Minister had told us that there is no commitment on the issue of territorial integrity of Manipur?.

Highlighting the political parties face-to-face meeting with a number of...

Dimapur, Jan. 24: A day after its leaders wrapped up their maiden talks on Indian soil, the NSCN (I-M) today said issues relating to Manipur ? a grey area in the entire peace process ? were only a part of the ?Indo-Naga problem?.

Speaking out for the first time on the recent meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Manipur delegation led by chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, NSCN (I-M) leader V. Horam today said the Indo-Naga issue should be ?looked in its totality?.

?We don?t want to waste time splitting hairs on the Manipur-Nagaland or Nagaland-Assam issues. We are not...

New Delhi/Rangiya (Assam), Jan. 24: Barely a few hours after NSCN (I-M) leaders Th. Muivah and Isak Chisi Swu flew out of the country today, the army expressed the hope that the landmark talks would have a ?positive impact? on insurgent outfits in the Northeast. Before boarding the flight to Amsterdam, the two NSCN (I-M) leaders, too, echoed a similar view.

Asked to leave a message for the many militant outfits his organisation had inspired, Muivah said: ?If the government of India is prepared to talk to them (insurgent outfits), we shall certainly tell them that they, too, should be prepared...

New Delhi, January 24: Top leaders of NSCN(I-M), who have just concluded talks with the Centre, would ask other northeastern insurgent groups to "be prepared to understand" the Centre?s point of view, if the Centre decides to hold parleys with them. "If Government of India would be prepared to talk to them (insurgent outfits), we shall certainly tell them that they should also be prepared to understand the Government.... we will also ask our friends to be prepared to find a better solution," NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah said when asked what message they would like to give to...

New Delhi, January 23: Wrapping up a historic first meet on Indian soil with Central leaders and officials, leaders of the NSCN (I-M) today spouted all the right words when they promised to continue talking ‘‘until a peaceful and violence-free environment was achieved.’’ For the record, they maintained that the ‘‘destiny of the Nagas must be left to the Nagas.’’

But Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chishi Swu, who held their second meeting with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee this morning, again had the alarm bells clanging when they claimed the Centre had given ‘‘no assurance to anyone in...