The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M), the leading Naga insurgent outfit engaged in peace talks with the Centre since 1997, has hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the "delay" in implementing the Framework Agreement signed between the Centre and the group in 2015.

It accused Modi of "running away" from the Naga issue "as he is yet to utter a word as he begins his third term as Prime Minister".

A three-para editorial headlined, Calling Narendra Modi on FA, published in the latest edition of the NSCN (I-M)’s news bulletin, Nagalim Voice, said the group “entered into a ceasefire with the Government of India with the pledge to safeguard the historical and political rights of the Nagas and never to allow another treacherous agreement as testified by Indo-Naga history. Certainly, the historic Framework Agreement (FA) is a fulfilment to redeem the pledge....”

“Given the complexity of the Naga political issue, it took us as many as 5 years to make the Government of India come to the point to admit the unique history and position of the Nagas and another 13 years to sign the historic Framework Agreement. Significantly, it was a milestone achievement for the Nagas towards the final solution,” the editorial said.

“When the FA was officially inked, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi was in his uncontrollable excitement for having solved the Naga political issue, the longest political movement in South Asia.”

Recalling how the agreement signing ceremony was “live broadcast” and how he “called up the leaders of all major political parties in India to let them know that he has outscored them by solving the Naga issue”, the editorial said. “In reality, it turned out that he simply wants to claim the credit in a hurry when it’s not due. A man in a hurry without action as his promises vanished in thin air after the dust of the high profile ceremony settled down in his courtyard,” the editorial stressed.

The editorial added: “The bitter truth is Narendra Modi is running away from the Naga issue as he is yet to utter a word as he begins his third term as Prime Minister. His cowardice to implement the FA has done immense damage to his credibility as Nagas are furious about his broken words as he has done nothing that goes beyond the ritual agreement speech.”

The peace process to end one of South Asia’s longest-running insurgencies started with the ceasefire involving NSCN (I-M) in 1997. This was followed up with the signing of the Framework Agreement on August 3, 2015.