Naga leaders, after a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday, hinted at a temporary suspension of their 65-day-old blockade of two national highways in the Northeast.
Talking to reporters, NSF adviser Achumbemo Kikon said, “We had a very good meeting with the PM and submitted our representation. He listened to us and assured us an early solution to the ongoing problem. He asked us to create a peaceful atmosphere for talks and resolve the issue.”
Mr Kikon added, “All our senior leaders of different students’ unions are meeting at Kohima. They shall be discussing the developments and also the assurances given to us by the PM. After forming a consensus, we may think of temporarily lifting the blockade.”
The protest will be suspended temporarily if the Manipur government agrees to remove the commandos and address other issues, said the NSF adviser.
The All Naga Students’ Association had launched the blockade to protest holding of elections to six autonomous district councils in the Hills which, it alleged, were not given enough power to implement development work. The blockade of NH 39 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH 53 (Imphal-Silchar), passing through Nagaland and connecting Manipur, was intensified after Manipur refused to let NSCN-IM general secretary T. Muivah enter on May 3 to visit his ancestral home there.