The United Naga Council-led Naga organisations before holding talks on FMR and border fencing with Government of India’s representatives in Delhi on August 26. (NNN Photo)
Newmai News Network
Imphal | August 26
The much-publicised talks between representatives of the Government of India (GoI) and the United Naga Council (UNC)-led Naga organisations on the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and border fencing concluded in a deadlock today.
It was learnt that the Naga leaders will return to Senapati on August 27 and convene a meeting before announcing the date and modes of agitation.
Earlier, an eleven-member Naga delegation met with eight GoI representatives from 11:30 am at Subramanyam Bharti Marg, Pandara Park, Delhi. The meeting lasted approximately two hours, a UNC source said.
UNC leaders informed Newmai News Network over phone this evening that even though the meeting was held for about two hours, a meeting point between the two parties could not be reached.
The GoI delegation was led by A.K. Mishra, Advisor (North East) in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and included officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Border Management, sources said.
According to the UNC leaders, after a lengthy discussion, they told the GoI representatives that, if the dialogue is to continue, the ongoing construction of border fencing should be put on hold.
But the GoI representatives were adamant that the construction of the border fencing cannot be halted,” a UNC leader said, adding that if this is the stance, how can the dialogue continue.
At the outset of the meeting, the GoI representatives cited national security front, smuggling, influx of illegal immigrants etc 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 added.
Despite the deadlock in the talks, both the Naga leaders and the GoI representatives had lunch together. However, no photo session was held, 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 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.
Earlier, the UNC had served a 20-day ultimatum to GoI 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".
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