‘All Naga Communities Can Jointly Have Their Own Flag Following Constitutional Norms’

Guwahati: The government of India has suggested that Naga communities from across the country adopt a flag as a symbol of its unity, this has follow all constitutional norms and accept the Indian Union’s sovereignty.

The message was communicated to tribal Hohos (Naga communities) by RN Ravi, the deputy national security advisor (NSA), who is representing the Centre in peace talks with the Naga communities.

“The flag should belong to all Naga communities. We propose to have a pan-Naga body with a flag of its own. We have no issue with that. Only concern rises if you say it belongs to the Nagaland state. The government will have problems with that,” Ravi told representatives of the tribal bodies.

About 30 representatives of various tribal bodies had a closed-door meeting with the interlocutor at a hotel in Kohima on Tuesday.

Ravi is on a visit to Nagaland to hold a series of talks with all stakeholders and the state’s legislators. He is scheduled to meet some more representatives of Naga organisations in Dimapur on Wednesday to brief them on the status of the ongoing talks between the Centre and the Naga groups.

The state government has invited all apex tribal Hohos and mass organisations to attend the consultative meetings.

However, the all-powerful Naga Hoho Association, Naga Mothers’ Association and Naga Students’ Federation have boycotted the call for talks alleging insincerity on the government’s part to resolve the long-pending issue.

Meanwhile, the United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas has sought a resolution of the Naga issue before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, failing which it has threatened to boycott the polls.

In a release on Monday, the association invited leaders of different Naga tribes, associations and mass civil organisations to reach a single agenda and place an ultimatum before the Centre’s interlocutor.

“If New Delhi fails to honour its commitment on solution to the Naga issue before the Lok Sabha elections, Naga people will boycott the polls,” the association said in a statement.

(With inputs Loreni Tsanglao)