GUWAHATI, Sept 21: The Opposition Congress has questioned Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s “involvement in the Naga peace talks,” while expressing concern that the “state’s interest may be compromised in the long run.”
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhupen Kumar Borah on Tuesday issued a statement here, asking the Centre to clarify “in what capacity chief minister Sarma has been involved in the peace talks in Nagaland.”
“The question now arises in what capacity will the Assam chief minister talk to NSCN (I-M)? As a chief minister can he go and hold talks without taking the Assembly and Cabinet into confidence?” Borah asked.
It may be mentioned that chief minister Sarma, who is also the convener of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), visited Nagaland on Tuesday and met NSCN-IM chief Thuingaleng Muivah at Chumukedima apart from senior BJP leaders of the state.
“The APCC thus views the act of participation of Sarma in the talks with full of suspicion and mistrust and apprehends that Assam’s interest may be compromised in the long run,” the state Congress chief stated.
The NEDA convener’s visit to Nagaland was scheduled at a time when the Centre and NSCN-IM) resumed talks on Monday to find a solution to the vexed Naga issue, nearly two years after the deliberations stopped.
Sarma, however, clarified before mediapersons here on Tuesday morning that his visit to Nagaland would be political. “In between, if the Nagaland chief minister wants somebody to meet me, I will meet them,” the NEDA convener said.
The APCC chief further demanded that the Centre should immediately put the contents of the Nagaland Framework Agreement, signed between the Centre and NSCN (I-M) in August 2015, in public domain.
“At that time, the Congress party had demanded that the contents of the Nagaland Framework Agreement be made public. But till today, nobody knows what is in the agreement. Years passed but the pompous announcement remained an announcement only. One did not see anything happen on the ground,” he said.
“The Congress party also demands that the Prime Minister, Union home Minister and Assam chief minister should make their intentions public to the people of Assam before venturing into such doubtful and dubious expeditions in the name of peace talks,” Borah said.
The APCC leader further pointed out that the “NSCN (I-M) is known to be a supporter of “Greater Nagalim”, and for all we know, it is supposed to include parts of Assam.”
“The Congress party is committed to keeping its state intact and under no circumstances will allow any part of its land into ‘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 Assam-Mizoram border issue?” Borah asked.