The sum and substance of Union Home Minister, Amit Shah’s visit was to get the parties in conflict over state borders to sit across the table and iron out their differences. Those in the HM’s inner circle say that the border conflicts between Assam and the states adjoining it namely Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh will be resolved during this Government’s tenure. How that will be achieved is essentially politics. All the governments in power in the above four states are either with BJP or aligned with the NDA. Perhaps Amit Shah has a clear mandate from the Prime Minister himself to sort out the mess in the eastern fringes of this country. Shah in fact confidently announced that insurgency/militancy is dead and under the Modi regime people and governments in the region are singing the tune of development. Shah is not far off the mark. Among the existing militant outfits only the ULFA led by Paresh Baruah now holed up in neighbouring Myanmar is not in talks with the Government of India. The rest, including the NSCN(IM) and the other breakaway groups have all agreed to sit down for talks. Assam CM, Himanta Biswa Sarma might soon get Baruah to come over and sign a truce. After all, he is getting on in years and the numbers of rebels have dwindled considerably after the Myanmar military took over the reins of the country. The junta is unsparing when it comes to rebel groups from foreign countries taking refuge in its territories and had collaborated with India in flushing out extremist groups from the country.
Things have undergone a change. The law and order machinery and the military under the NDA is uncompromising when it comes to dealing with terror outfits. This is evident from what’s happening in Kashmir and the reduction in militant activities in the valley. There are fringe groups that continue to extort and make life difficult for people in Nagaland and to an extent in Assam but the Centre is keeping a strict eye on these activities and is likely to apply pressure on state governments to deal with the situation or allow the armed forces to do so.
Modi’s Act East Policy slogan which intends to create economic hubs in the North Eastern states to do business with South East Asia and beyond has not taken off. The internal political strife in Myanmar has put paid to all ideas of economic engagement with South East Asia as Myanmar – the bridge is temporarily dislocated.Other than putting pressure on the states to resolve the border imbroglio, Shah’s visit is inconsequential being reduced as it has to a series of inaugurations of projects mostly started by the previous Congress Government.
