Nagaland, Assam disputes won’t be discussed in talks

Guwahati: The Union home ministry has made it clear to the Assam government and all stakeholders in the inter-state border dispute that settling of differences between Assam and Nagaland is not on the agenda of the ongoing Naga peace-talks.

Pointing out that the case of the inter-state border dispute was pending before the Supreme Court, authoritative security sources in the ministry told this newspaper that the content of the Framework Agreement signed between the NSCN (I-M) and the government of India in 2015 was known to all the stakeholders in the dispute.

The clarification-of-sorts on the contents of the agreement comes close to demands by the Opposition Congress to make public its finer details. The sources also rejected remarks of Assam BJP president Ranjeet Dass that there is a possibility of some disputed areas along the Assam-Nagaland border may go to Nagaland.

“Settling the inter-state border dispute is not on the agenda of Naga peace-talks,” a  source said.

Informing that the ongoing Naga talks have achieved significant way forward, sources in the ministry said that the Central government has also signed ceasefire agreement with two more armed groups of Nagaland, while four others, out of the total six who recently joined the peace-process, have agreed to abide by the law of the land.