GUWAHATI: Opposition Congress has questioned Union home minister Amit Shah in what capacity he has deputed Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to expedite the peace talks with the NSCN-IM.
Assam PCC president Bhupen Borah on Tuesday said the Congress will not support the ‘Greater Nagalim’ demand of the NSCN-IM if an attempt is made to take away parts of Assam to fulfil the demand.
He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has removed Nagaland governor RN Ravi, who was appointed the interlocutor for the Naga peace talks, without resolving the Nagaland issue.
“At the same time we have heard that home minister Amit Shah has deputed Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to talk to the NSCN-IM. The question that arises now is in what capacity is the Assam CM going to talk to the NSCN-IM? As a chief minister can he go and hold talks without taking the assembly and the cabinet into confidence?” questioned Borah.
Ravi was appointed governor of Nagaland in 2019. The Congress said the Framework Agreement was not made public. “Till today nobody knows what is in the agreement,” Borah said, adding that matters did not improve and the Framework Agreement appeared to be a ‘Discord Agreement’ as public spats between the leaders of the NSCN-IM and Ravi became headlines.
In a statement, the Assam Congress said the NSCN-IM is known to support the greater Nagalim cause. The fear lies in the demand becoming a reality because it would include parts of Assam. “Congress is committed to keeping the state intact and under no circumstance will it allow any part of Assam to go into the making of Greater Nagalim. Can the people of Assam trust Sarma to defend Assam’s interests when he had miserably failed to do so in the recent Mizoram-Assam border issue?” asked the state Congress president.
“Sarma had publicly said that he is ready to give the whole of Barak Valley and even Guwahati to Mizoram. Can Sarma be trusted to defend Assam’s interests in his talks?” Borah questioned.
Reports are doing the rounds that the chief ministers of Nagaland and Manipur have also been asked to take part in the talks along with Sarma. But Borah claimed that Manipur CM, N Biren Singh, has decided not to participate in the talks because he does not agree with the concept of Greater Nagalim.
“The Assam PCC thus views the act of participation of Sarma with suspicion and mistrust, and apprehends that Assam’s interests may be compromised in the long run. The Congress demands that the contents of the Framework Agreement of 2015 be immediately made public,” said Borah.
The Congress also demands that the Prime Minister, Union home minister and Sarma make their intentions public before venturing into such ‘doubtful’ and ‘dubious’ expeditions.
In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Nagaland Framework Agreement of the government with the NSCN-IM by declaring that ‘today, we mark not merely the end of a problem but the beginning of a new future’.
Assam PCC president Bhupen Borah on Tuesday said the Congress will not support the ‘Greater Nagalim’ demand of the NSCN-IM if an attempt is made to take away parts of Assam to fulfil the demand.
He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has removed Nagaland governor RN Ravi, who was appointed the interlocutor for the Naga peace talks, without resolving the Nagaland issue.
“At the same time we have heard that home minister Amit Shah has deputed Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to talk to the NSCN-IM. The question that arises now is in what capacity is the Assam CM going to talk to the NSCN-IM? As a chief minister can he go and hold talks without taking the assembly and the cabinet into confidence?” questioned Borah.
Ravi was appointed governor of Nagaland in 2019. The Congress said the Framework Agreement was not made public. “Till today nobody knows what is in the agreement,” Borah said, adding that matters did not improve and the Framework Agreement appeared to be a ‘Discord Agreement’ as public spats between the leaders of the NSCN-IM and Ravi became headlines.
In a statement, the Assam Congress said the NSCN-IM is known to support the greater Nagalim cause. The fear lies in the demand becoming a reality because it would include parts of Assam. “Congress is committed to keeping the state intact and under no circumstance will it allow any part of Assam to go into the making of Greater Nagalim. Can the people of Assam trust Sarma to defend Assam’s interests when he had miserably failed to do so in the recent Mizoram-Assam border issue?” asked the state Congress president.
“Sarma had publicly said that he is ready to give the whole of Barak Valley and even Guwahati to Mizoram. Can Sarma be trusted to defend Assam’s interests in his talks?” Borah questioned.
Reports are doing the rounds that the chief ministers of Nagaland and Manipur have also been asked to take part in the talks along with Sarma. But Borah claimed that Manipur CM, N Biren Singh, has decided not to participate in the talks because he does not agree with the concept of Greater Nagalim.
“The Assam PCC thus views the act of participation of Sarma with suspicion and mistrust, and apprehends that Assam’s interests may be compromised in the long run. The Congress demands that the contents of the Framework Agreement of 2015 be immediately made public,” said Borah.
The Congress also demands that the Prime Minister, Union home minister and Sarma make their intentions public before venturing into such ‘doubtful’ and ‘dubious’ expeditions.
In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Nagaland Framework Agreement of the government with the NSCN-IM by declaring that ‘today, we mark not merely the end of a problem but the beginning of a new future’.