Stakeholders in all neighbouring states of Nagaland, particularly the government of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, will be consulted before settling the issue of the NSCN-IM and other Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs). This was what the union home ministry had clarified amidst rumours about signing the final agreement between them on October 31. Indeed, we the people of this democratic country need to appreciate the Union Home Ministry for the timely clarification when people across the state of Manipur were on alert to uproar a 2001 June Uprising-like situation after various news were being carried out based on speculations and sources by media houses. But the assurance for invitation or consultation of Government of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh reminds of Samuel Beckett’s classic play ‘Waiting for Godot’. The air that is blowing in Nagaland state is of joy and celebration with the assurance from the government of India to end the 6-decade long Naga issues, and people in the state are waiting for December 1 as they have been told that the day will be another historic moment as the Prime Minister will announce officially that has been agreed on October 31.
What is that agreement that the Prime Minister is going to announce? Is it going to be the acceptance of all the demands that have been made by NSCN-IM? If so, then what will be the air that will blow in the state of Manipur?
On the other hand, similar to the way that Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo) waited for a person named Godot who never arrived in Samuel Beckett’s play, government of Manipur is waiting for an invitation from the Union Government to have a consultation on the issues before any settlement has been brought. October 31, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh himself stated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had told him that no settlement will be signed or had been signed and such a settlement will be brought only after consultation with the government of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Today is November 5, and as per news report, it is only 25 days left for the historic announcement to be made by the Prime Minister on the inaugural day of HornBill festival, which coincidentally is also a day that Nagaland became a state of India in 1963.
The government of Manipur says that they have no knowledge of the content of the agreement, but are waiting for the invitation from the center for the consultation, more like waiting for Godot by Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo).
India government is not run by idiots – even though many elected legislatures or parliamentarians have sometimes showed their stupidity, the country is run by highly educated bureaucrats and the Prime Minister of India is utilising and noticing every time in consultation with intelligentsia group before acting or deciding on anything. And the government of India under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will never act anything that will put on fire the gateway to the South East Asia (Manipur) and, at the same time, he will never hurt the sentiment of the people of Nagaland.
The moods of the people here in Manipur are restless waiting for what will happen if any agreement signed or accepted by the union government against the wishes of the people is announced. So, the government of Manipur, civil society organisations as well as the people of Nagaland are anxiously waiting for something that they don’t actually know.
In short, what if the much-awaited turns out to be a Godot of Samuel Beckett.
