Imphal, Aug 26 (NNN): The talk between the Government of India and the United Naga Council (UNC)-led Naga organisations on the issues of Free Movement Regime (FMR) and border fencing ended in a deadlock on Tuesday.
The UNC leaders said they would announce the date and modes of agitation any day.
The 11-member Naga team held a talk with the eight-member central team in Delhi from 11.30 am on Tuesday. The meeting lasted for about two hours, a source from the UNC said.
UNC leaders informed Newmai News Network on the phone that, though the meeting was held for about two hours, a meeting point between the two parties could not be reached.
According to the UNC leaders, after a long talk, they told the Government of India representatives that if the dialogue was to continue, the ongoing construction works of border fencing should be kept on hold.
“But the Government of India representatives were adamant that the construction works of the border fencing cannot be halted”, a UNC leader said. “As such is the stand of the Government of India, how can the talk be continued,” he added.
The Government of India delegation was led by AK Mishra, Advisor (North East), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. Officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Border Management were part of the team in today’s talk, sources said.
At the outset of the meeting, the Government of India representatives cited national security front, smuggling, and influx of illegal immigrants as reasons for the government to take the steps, said the UNC leaders. “Going by the kind and nature of the two-hour talk today, it appears that it will be very difficult to come to a meeting point between the two parties,” another UNC leader said.
FMR was established in 2018 as part of India’s Act East policy, promoting Indo-Myanmar cross-border movement up to 16 km without a visa.
Despite the deadlock, both the Naga leaders and the Government of India had lunch together. However, there was no photo session, which speaks volumes.
Naga leaders will return to Senapati on August 27 and convene a meeting before they announce the date and modes of agitation. Sources said that an indefinite economic blockade is likely to be called on the national highways.
The present executives of UNC and three former UNC presidents (members of UNC Working Committee), leaders of Naga Women Union (NWU) and All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) comprised the Naga team for the talks. They went to Delhi on the invitation of the Government of India.
The United Naga Council had served a 20-day ultimatum to the government on July 22. The ultimatum period had lapsed on August 11.
It can be recalled here that, on August 11, the “emergency presidential council meeting” of the United Naga Council (UNC) held in Senapati, participated by presidents of the “Naga tribe hohos” under the UNC, had resolved to “announce the mode of agitation and modus operandi within the 15 days’ time”. The meeting was held on the issue of the abrogation of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the ongoing border fencing construction in “Naga ancestral homeland”.
