New Delhi, July 4: The two representatives of Nagaland in Parliament are ready with a list of uncomfortable questions for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on its common minimum programme, which rules out altering the boundaries of the northeastern states.
Lok Sabha member W.W. Konyak and his Rajya Sabha counterpart T.R. Zeliang are expected to demand a clarification on the government?s stand on the demand for integration of Naga-inhabited areas within the first three days of the budget session, beginning tomorrow.
A source said both MPs were of the view that the UPA?s refusal to alter the territories of the seven states of the region was tantamount to adding a condition to the peace talks with the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) and putting the lid on the Naga community?s ?aspiration to live together?.
Since coming to power, the Neiphiu Rio government has adopted four resolutions on the subject. A committee was constituted to take up the issue with the states concerned after the last such resolution in December.
The two Nagaland MPs are likely to ask the government whether it intends to review the contentious clause on territorial integrity in its common minimum programme.
Nagaland ministers visiting the capital often complain about the ignorance of national parties about the intricacies of the ?Naga political problem?. A delegation of NGOs met senior political leaders here a few days ago, ostensibly to brief them about the status of the peace process.
The NSCN (I-M) reacted with typical aggression to the inclusion of the clause on territorial integrity in the ruling national alliance?s common minimum programme. The militant group, whose primary demands include the integration of all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas of the Northeast, threatened to back out of the dialogue with Delhi if a clarification was not issued soon.
Zeliang said the collapse of the talks would be calamitous for Nagaland. ?There is no doubt that the ceasefire in 1997 brought about a semblance of normality. This is reflected in the available statistics on crime. The collapse of the agreement will be damaging and we cannot afford that.?
The Rio-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland last week demanded a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on what transpired during the recent talks with the NSCN (I-M) leadership in Amsterdam.
Another contentious subject that will be raised by the Nagaland MPs during the budget session is the amendment to Article 164 (A) of the Constitution, which stipulates that the size of the council of ministers cannot exceed 15 per cent of the Assembly?s strength.