RN Ravi Resigns As Interlocutor Of Naga Peace Talks

RN Ravi resigns as interlocutor of Naga peace talks confirms Home Ministry.

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has resigned as the interlocutor of the Naga peace talks and the same has been accepted with immediate effect.

Ravi had been holding peace talks with the Naga insurgent outfit NSCN-IM since 2014.

He was appointed as the Governor of Nagaland in July 2019 and was transferred earlier this month as the Governor of Tamil Nadu.

“RN Ravi, as the negotiator for the Naga peace process, said a Home Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday.”

The resignation was submitted to the Government of India which has been accepted by the Government of India.

The central government has already engaged AK Mishra, former special director of the Intelligence Bureau, in peace talks with Naga outfits. Mishra has resumed talks with Naga insurgent outfits.

NSCN-IM had accused RN Ravi of obstructing talks.

The NSCN-IM refused to hold talks with him since last year, accusing him of obstructing peace talks. Earlier this month, Ravi was transferred as the Governor of Tamil Nadu.

The central government has already engaged AK Mishra, former special director of the Intelligence Bureau, in peace talks with Naga outfits.

Mishra has resumed talks with Naga insurgent outfits. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Nagaland counterpart Neiphu Rio held a meeting with NSCN-IM T Muivah on Tuesday.

Ravi had signed the draft agreement with Muivah on August 3, 2015, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a major step towards final dispute resolution.

The agreement was preceded by 80 rounds of talks for 18 years and the first breakthrough came in 1997 when Nagaland reached a ceasefire agreement after decades of insurgency.

But peace talks did not progress as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland- Isaac Muivah (NSCN)-IM demanded a separate flag and constitution for Nagaland. The Center turned down this demand.