Naga Peace Accord: Treading the path between jeers and cheers

Nagaland, Namagese and tribal communities come together as a single identity to describe what this tiny state may be. But, that’s not all because there are more than 28 tribal groups in and around Nagaland. This tiny speck on the map of India has assumed a lot of significance since over last six decades owing to insurgency and demands of autonomy. Nagaland was not Kashmir that was mired in controversies, but it was equally restless and significant for India to ensure the state stayed together with its ethnic identity intact.

The problem that haunted Nagaland was unaddressed for long. Or, the due diligence in the matter was perhaps not so much of a priority to government of India owing to the fact that this was a North Eastern State. Unrest hardly travelled to Delhi, till late.

This must be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greatest of achievements and in fact, a ‘swacch bharat aandolan’ in spirit and practice. Nagaland Peace Accord means much more than an agreement, which was drawn up on an issue that was raging since long. And, it has been cleaned up for good, at least for the time being. Though the peace accord needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, as mentioned by the experts, there are more reasons to cheer this homecoming. For, Nagaland can breathe easy now, and so can the rest of India.

Caution would be that the peace agreements in the past have been reduced to nothing. For instance, the nine-point agreement of 1947, and 16-point agreement of 1960 and Shillong Accord of 1975 did raise hopes of peace, whenever they came by.

The most recent Naga Peace Accord is something that brings cheer out on the streets. It is considered positive. There is a sense of optimism, for it puts to an end decades of violence and draining of resources. Nagaland is a state that’s crucial for India’s security along the international borders for the state has Myanmar and China well within its reach. Though India has a clear understanding with Myanmar, China has always been a friend who India would rather tread cautiously about.

Just a few days ago, the NDA government announced its historic peace accord with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah). This has created great amount of curiosity within the ethnic communities of Nagaland who have a stake in the peace accord, and among the people of Manipur as to what are the contents of the document.

What came by as truce between the government and rebel groups? Will the terms of the agreement tread further path from Shillong Agreement that came by in 1975? NSCN was formed right after that peace agreement was signed between rebel groups and Indian government.

In fact, NSCN was the body that started demanding for ‘greater Nagaland’ or ‘Nagalim’ a sovereign Naga territory that would exist between Indian and Myanmar. It rejected the national or state boundaries and set out to mark areas that were inhabited by Nagas in Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar. Hence, the agreement between NSCN and Government has raised quite a bit of curiosity.

News is rife that government of India has promised that there would be no altering of borders or territorial boundaries of the states. Greater security and cultural integration of Nagas living in other parts of the country would be done seamlessly, so as to ensure they are absorbed into the mainstream without having to stand out in separate identity.

Would this soon complicate situation further in states such as Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur which somewhat share the identity and seem to have more or less typical problems such as Nagaland? Time would hold a key to this answer because if India has indeed succeeded in creating peace in Nagaland, tribal states that come under sixth schedule of Indian constitution for their identity as ethnic states, there would be some changes in the power structure in the days to come.

If the central government reduces its interference in NE states, thus granting them an uncertain autonomy, the financial structure will have to be planned out well since in the given situation, Imphal is the sole breadwinner for Manipur, including some of the pockets that Nagaland wanted to be part of its larger ‘Nagalim’.

Naga political groups have been playing a crucial role in making the dream of Nagalim, a tangible one. Will they be satiated with the promises that are made in the Peace Accord? Only time can tell. As of now, truce has settled in Nagaland, and India is happy about having secured its borders without fearing Chinese insurgency.

(Image: Indiatimes)