Kohima: Nagaland governor and interlocutor for Naga peace talks, RN Ravi, in his Republic Day speech indirectly criticised the NSCN for its “unrealistic intransigence” to forsake the “politics of gun.”
While the Indo-Naga peace remains a deadlock for 24 years, he said despite several political initiatives by the Central government from time to time, the talks “could not fructify as yet due to unrealistic intransigence of some people who are unwilling to forsake the politics by gun”.
The governor said that although Nagaland is rich in natural resources, people have not been able to benefit from the various progressive schemes of the Central and State Government.
According to him, this is because of “some extra-constitutional entities” that are taking place in the “guise of espousing the Naga national cause” which queered the pitch for the people and the Government and have kept the “peace and progress at bay”.
Also Read: ‘Nagas and peace can no longer be kept hostage’: Nagaland Governor on R-Day
Menace of rampant extortions:
The governor said that although there has been no major eruption of law and order problem in the state for some time, the menace of rampant extortions under the guise of illegal taxation continue to take place.
He said that illegal taxations by anti-social elements have not been fully curbed despite the actions taken by the state police and the security forces against such elements.
The rampant extortion has created a sense of fear among businesses—small and large and has inhibited entrepreneurship. This has severely undermined the economy and growth, the governor said.
With such elements hampering the development, he said that as a result of it, the “state is not doing as well as other states on several development indicators”. He then assured that the state government is continuing its efforts to curb the menace of extortion and illegal taxation.
