By Moa Jamir
Twice within a week, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has reiterated the idea of Pan-Naga unity. Simultaneously, the party he now leads, following the NDPP–NPF merger, has reasserted that its objective “goes beyond” Statehood. A renewed call to elevate the protracted Indo-Naga political talks to the ministerial level also indicates a fresh recalibration.
The concept being articulated is not novel. The Pan-Naga aspiration has long sought a framework that brings together Naga-inhabited areas across present State boundaries—politically, culturally, or institutionally. On February 11 in Chümoukedima, the Chief Minister acknowledged that core issues such as the Naga flag, constitution and integration remain pending under both the Framework Agreement and the Agreed Position.
On February 15 at Ukhrul, he stressed emotional and cultural integration even if physical integration is not immediately feasible, noting that the Nagaland Legislative Assembly has on six occasions unanimously resolved to integrate all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas under one administrative umbrella.
Such aspiration mirrors the institutional imagination reportedly embedded in the 2015 Framework Agreement, which envisaged a statutory body functioning beyond territorial limits while 2017 while Agreed Position also talks of High-Power Committee to examine traditional Naga boundaries. Moreover, the existing Naga Hoho, in its present form, appears to have diminished in its capacity to effectively convene and represent all Naga groups under a single, cohesive platform.
Accordingly, the present reiterations do not depart from earlier negotiated contours; rather, they revive unresolved components. Is there a pattern to this? Three elements suggest so.
First, internal consolidation. The October 2025 merger of NDPP and NPF reduced fragmentation within the ruling space. A unified political platform potentially strengthens negotiating credibility.
Second, mandate-building, anchored in the frequently cited September 12, 2024 consultative meeting, attended by 61 organisations and endorsed by 226 signatories, which reportedly resolved that the talks be elevated to the political level. Continued reference to this resolution positions the current initiative as consultative and consensus-driven rather than unilateral.
Third, elevation of dialogue. The insistence that the Naga issue is political, not merely administrative, underpins the demand for engagement at ministerial rank. This suggests a recalibration from process-management to political decision-making.
The timing also invites attention. On February 5, the Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) was signed, devolving powers over 46 subjects to six eastern districts while safeguarding Article 371(A). While FNTA was framed as ‘within Nagaland,’ it represents a decentralised administrative arrangement within the existing constitutional structure.
Could the renewed Pan-Naga emphasis be connected? One reading is that the two tracks are complementary rather than contradictory. FNTA addresses sub-regional developmental aspirations within Nagaland. Reasserting Pan-Naga unity may therefore serve to reassure that decentralisation does not fragment collective political identity.
Is this about legacy? The Chief Minister has stated that from 2026 onward, the Government intends to pursue the issue more vigorously and present a “report card” before the term ends. Such language introduces a time-bound element. In long-standing political questions, moments of acceleration often coincide with phases of consolidation. Whether this reflects legacy-building or a strategic assessment that conditions are favourable remains open.
Objectively read, the current moment appears less a shift in doctrine than a renewed attempt to align consultative mandate, political consolidation and institutional imagination. Whether it becomes transformative will depend not on rhetoric, but on whether elevation of talks translates into substantive resolution of the issues long acknowledged yet unresolved.
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