Nagaland political crisis: Peace process to conclude within one or two months, says PB Acharya

Kohima: Nagaland governor PB Acharya has expressed hope that the vexed Naga issue would be solved within the next one or two months, and urged every Naga underground group and civil society player to come onboard. Interacting with media persons at the Raj Bhavan on Monday, the governor said, “The Naga peace process is in news everywhere and I am confident, thanks to the information by my sources, that it (peace process) has come to a conclusion.” [caption id=“attachment_3560849” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Nagaland governor PB Acharaya. PTI[/caption] “The general elections are due within few months in the state and I hope a solution to the Naga political problem will come within next one-two months,” Acharya said. “At this juncture, all the Naga civil societies and political parties should be prepared to accept the solution and make it a reality,” he said. “Younger people are tired and want a solution to the decades-old peace process,” he said. Asked about his role in overcoming the leadership crisis within the ruling Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF), the governor said it was the internal matter of the party. “They should overcome the trust deficit, which is also hampering the peace process and therefore, they should come together and strengthen the government,” he said. On the allegation from some quarters that the governor had ‘unconstitutionally’ removed the then chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on 19 July, Acharya said whoever had the majority should head the government. Meanwhile, the Nagaland governor urged the 60 Naga legislators and two MPs to adopt at least one village every year in their own constituency under the ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’ and work for the upliftment of that village. He said the Centre provides special funds to legislators for the project. Acharya also suggested that alongside the World War-II cemetery in Kohima, there should be a “memorial of Subhash Chandra Bose and INA soldiers who died for India”. He said he has written to the central government about it. Nagaland was hit by a spate of protests following the announcement of civic bodies poll in December 2016. The Naga groups had demanded that the polls be declared null and void.