Seeking to allay concerns of three northeastern states, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced today that the territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur would not be compromised while inking the final Naga peace accord.
Singh also said that violence perpetrated by insurgent groups in the Northeast has come done significantly -- by 75 to 80 per cent. "There should be no apprehension or worry for anyone. Territorial integrity of no state will be affected," Singh told reporters here on the sidelines of a 'Sainik Sammelan' of the paramilitary Assam Rifles. He was replying to a question about the possibility of hampering the territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur by the impending peace agreement between the central government and Naga insurgency group NSCN-IM.
The home minister added the central government was committed to do its best to fulfil the aspirations of the Naga people for a brighter tomorrow. "The central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to do its best to fulfil the aspirations of the Naga people for a brighter tomorrow with all the honour which they richly deserve," Singh said at the Hornbill Festival at Naga heritage village Kisama, about 12 km from the state capital Kohima, earlier in the day. The insurgent group NSCN-IM's key demand is to integrate the Naga-inhabited areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur, which has been strongly opposed by the three states, currently ruled by the BJP.
Last week, President Ram Nath Kovind said Nagaland was at the threshold of making history as the final agreement on the Naga political issue would soon be arrived at and a lasting peace achieved.
The expectations for a lasting peace have soared in Nagaland, which had been hit by insurgency for decades, after the Centre and the NSCN(IM) signed a framework agreement in 2015.
On September 19, Nagaland Governor P B Acharya said that the vexed Naga issue would be solved within the next few months. The NSCN-IM has been engaged with peace talks with the interlocutor of the central government since 1997 when it announced a ceasefire agreement after a bloody insurgency movement which started in Nagaland soon after the country's Independence.
The home minister also said the current interlocutor, R N Ravi, has been "doing a good job" and working for finding a solution. Addressing the jawans of the country's oldest paramilitary force Assam Rifles at Shokhuvi, Singh said violence perpetrated by Northeast insurgent groups has come done by 75 to 80 per cent in the recent past.
"I can tell you that 75 to 80 per cent of the insurgency-related violence in the northeast has come down," he said.
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