Nagaland legislators call for a unified voice 

Kohima, Sep 9 : The legislators of the 11th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, cutting across party lines, called for a unified voice of the Naga people in a nine-hour-long meeting at the Nagaland Assembly Secretariat which ended last evening. 

While all the legislators are tight-lipped about the significance and outcome of the closed-door meeting, Press Secretary of the Nagaland Peoples’ Front (NPF) Abu Metha in a release said that the meeting unanimously resolved to entrust Assembly Speaker Kiyanilie Peseyie, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Leader of the Opposition Chingwang Konyak to hold a consultation to convene another meeting of the forum on the Naga issue soon. 

It said that Mr Rio had expressed gratitude to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Speaker for convening the meeting and to all the members of the Legislative Assembly, especially the Leader of Opposition, for their participation and constructive contribution ‘which has made the meeting a success’. 

However, it was learnt during the deliberation in the meeting that most of the legislators from the ruling and Opposition have supported the unification and reconciliation among all the sections of the Naga society and come out with a unified voice. 

The speakers also viewed that the ongoing Naga peace talks should be expedited and the process must accommodate aspirations of all the sections of the Naga society. 

The meeting was attended by 58 legislators out of 60, while Parliamentary Secretary Torechu and Congress MLA Tarie Zeliang were absent for health reasons. 

The lone Rajya Sabha Member from Nagaland Khekiho Zhimomi also attended the meeting. 

The Union Government is likely to offer a package by November next with financial largesse, greater devolution of powers, special steps for the protection of the Naga culture and heritage and several other measures towards the resolution of the Naga political problem.