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North East : Manmohan to pay special attention to development and peace initiatives

	May 24, 2004

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which took over the reins of the Union Government on May 22, will focus on the development of the Northeast and adopt measures to stem militancy in the region. The new Government will continue peace talks initiated by the outgoing Vajpayee Government.

According to the second draft of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) circulated among the allies, “the UPA will pay special attention to bringing peace and accelerating development in the northeastern states. Stern steps will be taken to curb militancy.”

The Northeast Co-ordination Committee, an organisation of Congress units in the region, had told the party high command about urgency for taking measures to end violence and create a political environment conducive to peace.

The leaders seemed to favour an approach that would involve all militant outfits and sections of society in the peace process.

Mizoram PCC president Lalthanhawla said the CMP sums up the basic needs of the Northeast. “Peace is of utmost importance to the region. Development would receive a boost after normalcy is restored,” he said.

Though the Northeast finds mention only once in the 16-page document, policies proposed in certain sectors could have a significant bearing on the region. Policies like “full equality of opportunity, particularly in education and employment” of tribal people and other weaker sections, will have a crucial impact on the region.

People belonging to tribal communities comprise a huge section of the population in the Northeast, especially in the four states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Unlike their counterparts in central India and Jharkhand, the literacy rate is high but unemployment is a major burden.

“The UPA government will immediately enact a National Employment Guarantee Act. This will provide a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of employment on asset-creating public works programmes every year at a minimum wage for every rural household,” the draft said.

It said modernisation would be ushered in handloom, handicraft, food processing and sericulture, key sectors where the Northeast is believed to have tremendous potential for generating employment and income.

Another aspect of the draft that could have far-reaching implications on fiscal management is the commitment for a “structured and transparent approach” to ease the burden of debt on states so that more investment could be possible in the social sector. The techno-economic feasibility of linking rivers will be examined, besides strengthening relationship with East Asia since the Northeast borders four countries.



Cong panel prepares wishlist

The co-ordination committee of Congress units of the Northeast will submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, highlighting the region’s development bottlenecks.

Meghalaya chief minister D.D. Lapang told the media had that leaders of the North East Co-ordination Committee (NECC) met Manmohan Singh but decided to wait for him to settle down before briefing him about the region’s expectations.

“This is not the proper time to submit a memorandum. We will be submitting one possibly after about two weeks,” Lapang said.

Earlier, an NECC delegation urged Singh to pay “special attention” to the Northeast. The leaders said that “sympathetic consideration for special schemes” was required for the region to be brought on a par with other states.

The Meghalaya Chief Minister said the NECC was confident that the new Prime Minister would accord priority to these issues. “We are optimistic about accelerated development of the Northeast.”

Lapang, who is also the chairperson of the co-ordination committee, said Singh being a Rajya Sabha member from Assam was an advantage for the entire region. “We are quite fortunate,” he added.

In a joint appeal to former Prime Minister Vajpayee in January, the Chief Ministers of the northeastern states had asked for militancy in the region to be declared a “national problem”. They stressed the need to mount diplomatic pressure on the neighbouring countries to flush out militants of the Northeast operating from their soil. Two other requests were to strengthen the North Eastern Council and develop markets along the region’s borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Apart from Lapang, the NECC delegation included former Congress chief ministers S.C. Jamir of Nagaland, Mukut Mithi of Arunachal Pradesh, S.C. Marak of Meghalaya and Lalthanhawla of Mizoram. Meghalaya Lok Sabha member P.R. Kyndiah and former Rajya Sabha member from Nagaland Apok Jamir were present too.

Jamir said insurgency would end only if the right political environment was created, enabling people to speak out without fear. “As far as the Naga issue is concerned, all sections of the Naga community should be involved in the peace process. It should be a time-bound process, which means talks should not drag on and on.”

Expressing gratitude to Sonia Gandhi for consenting to be chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, all the NECC leaders said they would abide by her decision not to be the Prime Minister and co-operate with Manmohan Singh.

The common complaint of the Congress governments of the Northeast against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was non-release or delay in disbursal of funds.

On whether he expected more availability of funds for the region from the non-lapsable pool of central resources, Lapang said: “Now we have every right to expect more funds and we will pursue the matter. But, at times, the Centre could face problems and these should not be overlooked.”



Assam Cong on CPI thin ice

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has said its commitment of support to the Congress-led government at the Centre would in no way deter it from pressuring the party’s ministry in Assam on key issues, especially the need to expedite the process of handing over the oil-theft case to the CBI.

“Our support to the Congress-led government at the Centre notwithstanding, we will continue to fight the anti-people policies of the Congress government here,” CPI central executive committee member and former minister Promode Gogoi said.

On Transport Minister Anjan Dutta dragging him to court for slander - he had accused the Congress leader of favouring Putul Gogoi, the alleged kingpin of the oil-theft racket - Gogoi said he had nothing to fear. “I actually welcome the step.”

The state unit of the CPI forwarded a three-point charter of demands to the central party sub-committee that was formed to suggest clauses for inclusion in the new Central government’s common minimum programme. Gogoi, who returned to the state last week after attending the party’s national executive conclave in New Delhi, said the sub-committee had been told that a special package for the Northeast should be incorporated into the Common Minimum Programme.

The panel comprises senior CPI leaders A.B. Bardhan, P.K. Vasudevan Nair and Gurudas Dasgupta.

Gogoi said the Rs 7,000-crore special package for the Northeast that had been announced by the H.D. Deve Gowda-led United Front government at the Centre was not implemented by the National Democratic Alliance government in spite of the Shukla Commission’s advice to do so.

One of the demands of the state unit of the CPI is that the North Eastern Council (NEC) be strengthened by providing it with more funds and powers. Gogoi said the Department for Development of the Northeastern Region (Doner) deserved to be retained, but advised better co-ordination with the NEC.



First knock on Manmohan door by NSCN leaders

One of the biggest challenges before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is only weeks away.

The NSCN (I-M) has announced that its top leaders, Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, will visit News Delhi next month to take up the contentious demand for integration of all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas with the new government at the Centre.

The militant group’s deputy kilonser (minister) of information and publicity, Kraibo Chawang, said the NSCN (I-M) was not prejudiced against the Congress and would approach the peace talks with the same positive mindset as before.

“We are not against the Congress. Our leaders had met Sonia Gandhi even during their last visit,” Chawang said.

Swu, who is the chairman of the NSCN (I-M), and Muivah, the group’s general secretary, had met all the top leaders of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance when they last visited New Delhi in January 2003.

Chawang said the NSCN (I-M) was not worried about the change of guard in Delhi, given the fact that it was former Congress Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao who had kicked off the peace process by signing a ceasefire agreement with the group.

On whether his organisation would ask for chief interlocutor K. Padmanabhaiah to be replaced, Chawang said his role in the peace process had been “accepted” and there would be no other dispute on this topic.

“The differences that had cropped up at one point of time on Padmanabhaiah’s continuance have been resolved. We had asked for a senior political leader, but the dispute was settled. So, we do not see any problem with him continuing as the government’s interlocutor.”

In June last year, both sides decided to meet once a month. Several rounds of talks have since been held in Bangkok and Amsterdam with Padmanabhaiah representing New Delhi. There has, however, been no progress on the NSCN (I-M)’s demand for integration of all Naga-inhabited areas.

The NSCN (I-M) maintains that the peace process cannot advance without a positive decision on the subject of integration. Manipur’s uncompromising stand - the state has witnessed violent protests whenever New Delhi has shown signs of buckling under pressure - is the militant group’s main source of worry.

Chawang said former Congress Chief Minister Jamir had “fooled the people for long but has now realised how important the peace process is”. He said the NSCN (I-M) was “prepared” to deal with Jamir if he became a hurdle. “He will come on our terms.”

Jamir’s refrain is that the peace talks have neither been transparent nor yielded tangible results.



Peace talks in Manipur MP’s do-list

A day after becoming the first

Independent candidate to win a Lok

Sabha seat from Manipur, Mani Charenamei said his top priority was to safeguard the state’s territorial integrity.

Accused by his BJP rival Dominic Loli Adanee of enlisting the NSCN (I-M)’s help to win the election, the MP said at his residence in Imphal on May 20 that supporting talks between the militant group and the Centre did not mean he had links with it or would compromise the state’s interests.

The former Forest Department official, who retired from service just before the Lok Sabha elections were notified, said peace in the Northeast depended on the outcome of the Naga peace talks. “Resolving the Naga issue will bring peace to region. So it is only right for all of us to support the peace process between the NSCN (I-M) and the government.”

Charenamei said it was imperative to initiate talks with all the militant groups operating in Manipur without delay. “As the representative of the people, I will try my best to initiate such a dialogue and push for abolition of black laws such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.”

The new Outer Manipur MP said he would seek suggestions from leaders of all communities of the state on how to go about the task of fostering communal amity.



Assam : IMDT Act opponents rethink plans

With the Congress returning to power

at the Centre, the anti-IMDT brigade

in Assam has been forced to redraw its strategy for revoking the controversial law.

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which is at the forefront of the lobby demanding the scrapping of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, said it would soon meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The union would apprise her of the ground situation in the state and try to convince her of the need to immediately repeal the act.

On the other hand, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) would take an initiative to evolve a consensus among all regional parties in the country. “We will discuss it with other regional and like-minded parties so that a new bill can be moved to scrap the act,” senior AGP leader Ramendra Narayan Kalita said.

AASU president Prabin Boro said the students’ union would launch a fresh move to evolve a consensus, particularly among the ruling alliance, on the urgent need for repealing the act. The Congress has vehemently opposed all moves to scrap the controversial act on the ground that it was the only instrument for protecting genuine Indian citizens from being harassed. Boro said the union was also planning to restart a statewide movement to exert pressure on the Congress, which is in power both at the Centre and the state, to reconsider its stand on the act.

The BJP, which had brought a bill in Parliament to scrap the act, is now gearing up to evolve a new strategy for push its repeal-IMDT agenda as the bill has lapsed.