HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, July 31: Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K Therie said the forthcoming Assembly election in Nagaland will be a referendum for the Naga people between settlement or no settlement of the Naga issue and secular government or a government thriving on religious divide.
In a statement on Sunday, Therie said the July 16, 2022, resolution of the parliamentary committee of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), which gave hope of settlement, has been thrown to the dustbin. “Instead of pursuing the resolution for settlement, it is shocking that the seat sharing agreement was flashed in the media,” he said.
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The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP recently announced to contest the coming state Assembly election due early next year on 40:20 seat share.
Therie said he appreciated the July 16 resolution of UDA’s parliamentary committee as the people’s representatives have finally understood the aspirations of the stakeholders for settlement to the agreements between the government of India and the Naga negotiating teams.
After all other meetings on the issue of Naga political problems, the Pradesh Congress chief noted, the core committee of UDA used to rush to Delhi with the resolutions. “But surprisingly this time, neither the core committee nor the allied partners have gone to submit the resolution,” he stated.
According to him, settlement of the agreements will benefit both Nagaland and the Nagas outside Nagaland.
He said for Nagaland, the political structures would be improved by way of delimitation of Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, state assembly and creation of upper house.
“The Nagas outside Nagaland would have gained territorial autonomous councils under Schedule VI with direct funding in the manner of states and UTs through Finance Commission Award,” he said. To this effect, the Constitution was amended mandating the Finance Commission (to recommend devolution of funds in 2019, he added.
Therie said the amendment has also transferred 30 departments to the councils sharing powers of state. Resettlement scheme for all Naga national workers and economic package for development were also in the pipeline, he said.
He said the Congress had decided to support the agreements because of the above reasons.
“It is surely an improvement. It is sad we are missing the opportunity once again and this time roadblock to settlement is the people’s government,” Therie added.
