‘Boundary row has turned aggressive under BJP rule’

NEW DELHI, July 30: Lok Sabha member from Shillong, Vincent H Pala on Friday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for resolution of the interstate boundary disputes in the Northeastern region, while stating that boundary clashes have not just been on the rise of late, but have taken an aggressive turn under the newly sworn-in BJP government in Assam.
Provocations and aggressive posturing at the interstate borders are perilous to healthy neighbourly relations, he maintained.
“For reasons best known to the present BJP-led government of Assam, such conflicts have not only been on the rise, but have also taken a much more aggressive turn,” Pala, a three-time MP, said in the letter. Seeking the PM’s intervention for establishing cordial relations between the neighbouring states, Pala urged Modi to address this issue at the earliest since progress of the region has long been fought for… and it would be a matter of great regret to let that wither away”.
He said the recent clashes along the Assam-Mizoram border, which claimed six lives, have once again highlighted the vulnerability of peace and stability of the region.
The Shillong MP noted that barring Tripura and Manipur, all other states in the Northeast have a history of boundary disputes with Assam. It has also given rise to wrangle over land, forest resources and ethnic clashes over the years, he added.
Meanwhile, the newly-reconstituted North East MPs Forum on Friday took serious note of the Assam-Mizoram border flare-up and asked both Assam and Mizoram governments to adopt conciliatory steps to ensure peace and tranquillity along the border.