Nagaland's Ruling Party Urges Unity in Face of Crude Oil Extraction Concerns

Taking note of the statement made by the working committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) that it would oppose extraction of crude oil from Naga areas before settlement of the Naga political issue , the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) in Nagaland asserted that the Indo-Naga issue does not belong to any one person, group, or political party. The governments of India, Assam and Nagaland signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) in New Delhi recently for exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas along the Assam-Nagaland border, which was described by Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio as historic. The working committee of the NNPGs said any attempt to explore or extract natural resources, including petroleum, in Naga areas is “illegal” and “against the agreed principles” until the Indo-Naga political settlement is formally signed. In a lengthy statement on Monday night, the NPF said the Indo-Naga issue was built on the sacrifices and hopes of generations of Nagas, calling for wisdom, maturity, and unity to find an honourable, acceptable, and inclusive political solution. The party said the task before the Nagas is bigger than any one group or party, adding responsible groups should support constructive dialogue and constitutional processes instead of using sensitive issues for short-term political gain. The NPF said it understands the concerns raised by different sections of Naga society on ownership and management of natural resources, but such issues must be handled with a historical view, clear facts, and collective responsibility. Long before the present MoU, the NPF said, the Assam government had started exploration and drilling in some of these areas along many parts of this disputed area where valuable mineral and petroleum resources lie and which have been contested for years. “This has been a matter of concern even before such an agreement was thought of. So it is wrong to say that the issue of oil exploration came up only because of the recent MoU,” it said. The party said whether Nagaland signed such an arrangement or not, the basic questions of territory, resource ownership, and competing claims have existed for decades. It stressed that any serious discussion must accept these historical facts instead of reducing a complex issue to narrow political debate.