Union Home Minister Amit Shah met an all-party delegation from Manipur late on Wednesday and assured them that the interests of the State will be taken into account before finalising the Naga peace accord.
Following the meeting, the delegation that included Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, decided to call off a strike they had called on Thursday to oppose any geographical change following the signing of the accord.
Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy was deputed to Manipur on Monday to assuage the concerns of civil society groups and others in the State.
Naga interlocutor R.N. Ravi is currently holding final negotiations with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) [NSCN-IM] and other Naga groups to finalise the deal.
Mr. Ravi’s meetings with other delegations including the six Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) were still on and there was likelihood that the final peace process could be signed without NSCN-IM.
The NSCN-IM has been fighting for ‘Greater Nagaland’ or Nagalim — it wants to extend Nagaland’s borders to include Naga-dominated areas in neighbouring Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh — to unite 1.2 million Nagas. The Centre has ruled out any disintegration of these States to merge the Naga-inhabited areas with the existing State of Nagaland.
Two booked
Chief Minister Biren Singh said on Wednesday that a case had been registered against two persons who on Tuesday said the State was “independent” from India. The two persons claim they have sought political asylum in the U.K. Mr. Biren Singh said the case had been registered under Sections 121, 121A and 121B (waging war against the state).
(With inputs from Iboyaima Laithangbam)
