Jamir's statement comes at a time when NSCN (I-M) chairman Th Muivah is camping in New Delhi for the next round of peace dialogue with New Delhi.
The veteran Congress leader said since the Centre had already turned down the Naga outfit's demands for sovereignty and integration of all Naga-inhabited areas in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the Nagas should now look for an alternative solution under the purview of the Indian polity.
"The government has clearly ruled out sovereignty and territorial integrity and this applies to all other outfits. The Naga people need an alternative that can fit into the contemporary Indian polity," Jamir said.
Jamir, who had narrow escapes from militant attacks for five times in the past, said, "The Naga problem does not arise from a factional issue. The future has to be decided by the Naga people and not by group or an individual. We require a common voice within the parameters of the Indian polity. We must go back to the people and all factions must unite. The recent merger of the NSCN-K and the Naga National Council (NNC) is a positive sign."
He said Nagaland was the springboard of insurgency in the region and the idea of "independence" was prevalent in the tribal society even before India attained Independence. "Everybody wants freedom but a changed situation like our contemporary political reality has overshadowed many theories of the past," he added.
Muivah and four other members of NSCN(I-M) met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday and is scheduled to meet Union home minister P Chidambaram next week. Muivah and his team have also been holding a series of meetings with interlocutor RS Pandey in New Delhi over the week. The NSCN (IM) signed truce in 1997 and the peace process is continuing for the last 13 years.
Jamir recently completed gubernatorial responsibilities in Goa, Gujarat and Maharshtra and has returned to join active politics in his state. In his younger days, he was part of the Naga delegation of 1960 which gave the Nagas their state. He was also responsible for the ceasefire in 1965 with AZ Phizo of the NNC.