Former Nagaland parliamentarians take exception to NSCN (IM)’s statement on Article 371 (A)

DIMAPUR — The Ex- Parliamentarian’s Association of Nagaland (Ex-PAN) has taken exception to NSCN (IM)’s statement that the Framework Agreement (FA) has “nullified the 16-Point Agreement and Article 371(A)”.

The Ex-PAN said in a press release that such statement will have far-reaching consequences and ramifications.

It stated that the FA is a mere “framework” with no final agreement being arrived at even eight years after it was signed, and that the competencies in the FA have to be first enacted into an Act by both Houses of Parliament.

“Also, if Article 371(A) is to be superseded by any other Act, it has to be through a specific amendment by two-third majority of the members voting in both Houses. Only then, the question of whether such competencies under FA approved by both Houses of Parliament are superior/inferior in respect to constitutional status of Article 371(A) or 16-point agreement will hold water,” it stated.

It went on to say that claims of “Article 371(A) or 16-point agreement being nullified is an invalid assertion and misleading” as the FA remains to be without substance till date.