Nagaland Election 2023: Govt keen on resolving decades-old Naga political issue, says Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Naga peace talks are underway and expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative to bring lasting peace to the northeastern state would bear fruit on Tuesday, February 21.

While addressing a rally in Tuensang, Shah said that some issues concerning the development and rights of eastern Nagaland would be addressed after the assembly elections.

"Nagaland had an insurgency prior to 2014... We began the peace process. I am hopeful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative will bring lasting peace to the state while preserving Naga culture, language, and tradition," Shah said.

The apex tribal body in the region, the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), had called for a boycott of the assembly elections in support of their 'Frontier Nagaland' separate statehood demand.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has held discussions with ENPO, and an 'agreed agreement' has been reached. However, we could not realise it due to the Model Code of Conduct's implementation.

"I promise you all that after the elections; the agreement will be implemented through which all issues of eastern Nagaland will be addressed. The region will undergo massive development, and you will be granted your rights," Shah added. 

Additionally, he claimed that during the last nine years of Bharatiya Janata Party rule at the Centre, several measures were taken to bring peace to the Northeast and that there has been a 70 per cent drop in violent incidents in the region. "There has also been a 60 per cent reduction in security force deaths, while civilian deaths have decreased by 83 per cent in the Northeast," he added.

Noting that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 has been repealed in large parts of Nagaland by the BJP government, he expressed hope that it will be repealed across the northeastern state within the next three to four years. Shah claimed that only the BJP and the NDPP had agreed to share electoral seats and that no other parties were involved in the alliance.

"It has come to my attention that some parties are misleading voters by claiming to have the BJP's support. I want to clarify that there are only two symbols for Nagaland elections: the lotus (of the BJP) and the globe (of the NDPP). We are fighting this election under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, while PM Modi is the leader of the National Democratic Alliance," he continued. 

He said that more than 100 development projects, including 13 in Nagaland, have been completed after extensive space technology research. "During the UPA regime, only Rs 1,300 crore was allocated for Nagaland development in 2009-10, which was increased to Rs 4,800 crore by the BJP government in the fiscal year 2022-23," Shah said.

"In Nagaland, 53 development projects have been completed in the last eight years, and 142 more are in the pipeline," he asserted. 

Shah listed the number of beneficiaries of several central programmes and said, "Help us in this election, and I assure you that the free medical treatment cap will be doubled from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh under Ayushman Bharat."

Eastern Nagaland has six districts, constituting 20 of the state's 60 assembly seats. The NDPP and BJP are contesting the election on a 40-20 seat-sharing basis. Elections for the 60-member assembly will be held on February 27; the results will be out on March 2.

(With inputs from PTI)

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