North-East: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tasked Arvind Kumar, the Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) to take over the Naga peace talks. The main task of Arvind Kumar is now to bring back the apparently derailed peace talkback into the track.
The Prime Minister Office is ‘stressed’ over the stand-off. The PMO has also shown concern over the stand-off in the Naga peace talks. The stand-off is between the rebel groups and the Centre’s interlocutor.
The Centre is concerned over the Naga peace talks between Nagaland Governor RN Ravi and various rebel groups over the past few months. Governor RN Ravi is also the Centre’s interlocutor. The stand-off threatens to derail the critical political dialogue. A senior ministry official claimed that from the last 10-11 months the talks between RN Ravi and the rebel groups are not going well.
The senior ministry official also stated that the PMO has also asked IB Special Director Akshay Kumar Mishra to join the peace talks.
The Centre is particularly concerned with the three-way feud in Nagaland. The feud is between NSCN (IM), RN Ravi and the National Naga Political Groups (NNPG).
The Isak-Muivah faction (NSCN-IM) on August 11 launched a sharp attack on Nagaland Governor RN Ravi. The group accused him of creating tensions among the parties involved in peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, opposition parties continue to target the centre over the framework agreement reached with Naga rebel groups in 2015.
The North East Division of the IB also has new officers. Mandeep Tulli, a 1999 batch officer was earlier in Manipur’s Imphal. He is sent back again in Delhi as Joint Director (North East). Nagaland has also acquired a new SIB head, Ritu Mishra.