Shurhozelie Liezietsu, 81, took oath as the chief minister of Nagaland on February 22, three days after his predecessor, T.R. Zeliang, was forced to step down amid protests by tribal organisations against the state government’s decision to reserve 33 per cent seats in urban local bodies for women.
In his first extensive and exclusive interview since taking charge, Liezietsu told THE WEEK that his government was not in conflict with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IsakMuivah), the insurgent group that runs a parallel government in Hebron, a small region deep in the Naga jungle. Dominated by Baptist Christians, Hebron is the headquarters of the NSCN(IM). THE WEEK’s exclusive cover story on the secret Naga state (‘Bullets and the Bible’, April 23) had caught the attention of authorities, including the Nagaland government.
Liezietsu said he wanted an “early political solution” to the insurgency. He opened up about a host of issues, including the status of the framework peace accord signed by the Union government and the NSCN(IM) in 2015, and how the state government, led by the Naga People’s Front (NPF, of which he is chairman), was trying to reach out to all underground groups.
How committed is the Nagaland government to bringing about an “early solution” to the problem?
It has been the avowed stand of the NPF-led DAN [Democratic Alliance of Nagaland] government that the protracted Naga political problem should be resolved without further delay, since it has been hampering the development of the state. We have had enough bloodshed and violence. It is our sincere endeavour that the problem be resolved in our lifetime and not be handed down to the younger generation. We want posterity to march ahead with the rest of the world as proud equals.
The people are getting impatient, as hopes had risen with the signing of the framework agreement in 2015.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 07, 2017-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 07, 2017-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Angry, Young America
Campus protests against the Gaza war continue to linger as students demand a realignment of US ties with Israel
We need to engage more with communities
Designer Aratrik Dev Varman of the label Tilla has long been a lover of history. One could comfortably call him part-aesthete, part-archeologist, for his clothes dip into vintage styles of the Kutch, Sindh, Balochistan and Afghanistan, bringing alive antique styles and crafts. Tilla, the store and atelier, are situated on a tree-lined avenue in Ahmedabad.
The great luxury slowdown
A year or so ago, if anyone had told me that Tommy Hilfiger would have stolen the show at New York’s Met Gala, I would have laughed. But it seems the end of giant luxury labels is upon us even before we expected it. The American ready-to-wear designer Tommy Hilfiger seems to have created the maximum media buzz at the 2024 Met Gala, according to several data analytics firms.
RAP BRINGS RAPTURE
How indie artistes, especially hip-hoppers, are driving the phenomenal rise of Malayalam music
Employability issues are a narrative created by the corporate world
Prof Yogesh Singh is the 23rd vice chancellor of the century-old University of Delhi (DU). An engineer with a PhD in computer engineering, Singh has an impressive track record of teaching, innovation and research in the area of software engineering. He has more than 250 publications and his book, Software Testing, published by the Cambridge University Press, is well-received internationally. In an interview with THE WEEK, Singh talks about trends in higher education in India, the challenges faced by big universities, and how to make higher education more interesting. Asked about the perception that Indian graduates are “not employable”, he reacts strongly, and emphasises the difference between training and higher education. Edited excerpts:
SERVING WITH DISTINCTION
Conceived as a university like no other, Jawaharlal Nehru University became India's best. Here is how
Mandela Effect and Liar's Dividend
The complex tapestry of AI's impact on society
The other Sabyasachi
I am Sabyasachi Mukherjee, not to be confused with my namesake, the celebrated fashion couturier, declared the venerated director-general of Mumbai’s pride, George Wittet’s Indo-Saracenic jewel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum.
THE MANGO HUNTERS
'Naadan Maavukal' started out as a Facebook group, but what it does offline has helped conserve many indigenous varieties of mangoes
BJP LEADERS, TOO, HAVE HAD ENOUGH
Farmers’ protest has taken the centre stage in Haryana, which goes to the polls on May 25. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is confident that the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, will regain its hold on the state. “People who voted for the BJP are disappointed today. It is clear that they want change,” he told THE WEEK.
