Dimapur : The Niki Sumi faction of the NSCN (K) on Monday accused the Centre of deliberately prolonging the Naga peace talks and asserted that the Naga people would not be misled by what it described as an attempt to conclude negotiations without a genuine political solution.

Addressing a press conference at the Ceasefire Supervisory Board office here, NSCN(K) leader Niki Sumi called for unity among Naga political parties, civil society and apex tribal bodies to resolve the long-pending Naga political issue. He lamented growing divisions within Naga society, warning that fragmentation among civil organisations was fuelling factionalism within armed groups.

“If civil society is divided, factions begin to emerge along tribal or village lines. The blame does not lie only with Naga political groups; divisions within civil society also contribute to the rise of factions,” Sumi said.

Stressing the need for consolidation, he urged the unification of the three major apex bodies-the United Naga Council (UNC) Manipur, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) and the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC)-to present a collective voice in negotiations.

Alleging that New Delhi was adopting a strategy of delay, Sumi said, “The Centre thinks the Nagas will eventually get tired. But the Naga people are not fools. If the intention is merely to end the talks without a real solution, the people are watching and will understand the reality.”

He further claimed that some Naga tribal and political leaders were misleading the public about their engagements with the Centre, alleging that several leaders who project proximity to high-level meetings were being “managed by Indian intelligence agencies to create divisions”.

“Creating factions is not our objective. Naga intellectuals and political groups must study the situation carefully so that we do not end up like the movement in Punjab. If political organisations become lethargic, a solution will never come,” he said.

On the ongoing deadlock in the peace process, Sumi contrasted the positions of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) and the NSCN-IM, particularly over the 2015 Framework Agreement signed with the Centre. He argued that the NSCN-IM’s insistence on a separate flag and constitution was contradictory if the Centre was unwilling to accept “integration” of Naga-inhabited areas in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with Nagaland.

“Without integration, how will a flag or constitution cover the southern Nagas? Will the Centre break the boundaries of Manipur or Arunachal? If integration does not happen, the flag and constitution have no value,” Sumi said.

Questioning the contents of the Framework Agreement signed on August 3, 2015, he said its details remained unclear even after years of negotiations. In contrast, he said the NNPGs were advocating acceptance of what was achievable at present, with the remaining demands to be pursued democratically in the future.

“The NNPGs are saying: accept competencies now and fight for the remaining rights later through democratic means,” Sumi said, urging Naga intellectuals and the public to objectively study both agreements and “accept the reality without emotion”.

The Centre and the NSCN-IM entered into a ceasefire in 1997, launching negotiations to resolve the decades-old Naga insurgency. After over 70 rounds of talks, the Framework Agreement was signed in 2015. However, negotiations have remained stalled over the NSCN-IM’s demand for a separate Naga flag and constitution, which the Centre has refused to accept.

Parallel talks with the Working Committee of the NNPGs began in 2017, culminating in the signing of the Agreed Position the same year. While the NNPGs have indicated willingness to move forward with an interim settlement, the NSCN-IM has maintained that it will not accept any solution without a separate flag and constitution.