Naga deal: Nagaland Congress backs demand for Upper House

The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has endorsed the demand for additional Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seat for Nagaland as part of Naga peace accord.

It also supported the demand of bicameral legislature for the state Assembly with creation of Upper House.

“These two demands must mandatorily be part of final political agreement and not left for further democratic processes,” the NPCC said in a statement.

The political affairs committee of the NPCC in a meeting adopted a five-point resolution on Naga political settlement, the NPCC in a statement said on Saturday.

It adopted the resolutions in the backdrop of Nagaland governor RN Ravi, who is also the interlocutor for Naga peace talks, announcing on numerous occasions that the talks had concluded successfully on October 31, 2019 and now that the negotiating parties have agreed to resolve all issues under the parameters of the Constitution.

It backed the economic package for development of the state which has been “stunted by political strife and uncertainty”.

The NPCC said it supported rehabilitation and resettlement of the cadres of the Naga political groups under a “non-partisan state government” in coordination with the government of India.

The NPCC said the state has sufficient safeguards under Article 371 (A) of the Constitution, no other “super imposition” should be made to disturb or distort this provision.

“The idea of pan Naga Hoho or any other bodies in the form of Advisory Council to the state of Nagaland is not acceptable without integration,” the NPCC said.

The party appealed to the Centre to execute an early settlement keeping in view the repeated assurances and promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Nagas and to the nation on different occasions.

The NPCC also noted with concern the silence and inability of other political parties in the state to clearly take a stand for the people of Nagaland at this crucial juncture.