Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi steps down as interlocutor for Naga peace talks

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi on Wednesday resigned as the interlocutor for the Naga peace talks, the home ministry said, adding his resignation has been accepted with immediate effect. Ravi had been holding peace negotiations with the Naga insurgent group NSCN-IM since 2014. “Shri RN Ravi’s resignation as interlocutor for the Naga peace process, submitted by him today, has been accepted with immediate effect by Government of India,” a home ministry spokesperson said. Ravi was appointed the governor of Nagaland in July 2019 and he was continuing his role as the interlocutor on behalf of the Central government. However, the NSCN-IM has refused to hold talks with him from last year, accusing him of trying to sabotage the peace process. Ravi was transferred as the governor of Tamil Nadu early this month. The Central government has already engaged former special director of the Intelligence Bureau, AK Mishra, for holding peace parleys with the Naga groups. Mishra has resumed talks with the Naga rebel group. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Nagaland counterpart Neiphiu Rio also met NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah in Dimapur on Tuesday. Ravi had signed a framework agreement with Muivah on 3 August, 2015, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a major step towards the final settlement. The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years with the first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland. However, there has been no progress in the peace talks as the NSCN-IM has sought a separate flag and constitution for Nagaland, which was rejected by the Central government.