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North East : Naga peace process : Centre may set up a boundary commission |
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With the Naga militant outfit, NSCN(IM), adopting an extremely rigid posture on the issue of integration of Naga-inhabited areas of the adjoining states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the Union Government is now reportedly toying with the idea of setting up an inter-state boundary commission involving the affected states. Media reports quoting sources privy to the ongoing Centre-NSCN(IM) dialogue, say interlocutor for Naga talks K. Padmanabhaiah has already initiated discussions with the State Governments to explore the possibility of constituting such a boundary commission.
The deliberations being conducted at the official level, involve persuading the respective states to agree to the “logical and constitutional” mechanism to discuss the demand for Nagalim, a Naga state proposed to include Naga-inhabited areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
Given the ramifications of the Nagalim demand on the boundaries of these states, a debate on it was not possible without involving their governments. A boundary commission, the sources maintain, appears just the right mechanism for taking up the demand.
Alarm bells in neighbouring states
The Centre’s move to set up a boundary commission to go threadbare into the issue, though not yet confirmed, has already sent shockwaves in the states of Manipur, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Invariably first off the block when it comes to fighting for ‘territorial integrity’, organisations in Manipur see the reported attempt by New Delhi to constitute a boundary commission as a step towards fulfilling the NSCN (I-M)’s demand.
The Manipur government, however, said it was not aware of any such move by Delhi. ‘The Centre has so far not intimated the state government about such a plan, if there is any,’ additional chief secretary Saichuana said. A Congress legislator known to be a confidant of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said the government might issue a clarification to defuse tension.
Nagaland additional chief secretary T.N. Mannen, too, said the government had not heard of any move by Delhi to study the demography of Naga-inhabited areas.
Assam chief secretary S. Kabilan issued a similar statement. ‘The only boundary commission I am aware of is the one suggested by the Supreme Court to look into the border dispute between Assam and Nagaland. Assam has informed the court that such a commission is acceptable to the state,’ he said.
A senior official in Arunachal Pradesh, another state with a Naga population, said the government would issue a statement only if Delhi officially intimated it about any such move.
The Congress and the CPI, partners in both the ruling Secular Progressive Front in Manipur and in the UPA, said Delhi would be committing a big mistake if it compromised Manipur’s territorial integrity to appease the NSCN (I-M).
The United Committee of Manipur, which spearheaded the 2001 uprising, questioned the state government on whether it had unwittingly given its sanction to the proposal for the constitution of a boundary commission. In a statement, the committee asked the people of Manipur ‘to be prepared to shed blood to protect their territory’.
Experts said only a boundary reorganisation commission like the one formed in the early Fifties could make recommendations to the government on changing the existing boundaries.
‘The Constitution has provisions allowing the government to make changes in state boundaries if it so desires. But even in the event of a boundary reorganisation commission being formed, Manipur’s case should be treated differently. Manipur merged with the Indian Union in October 1949 with a definite geographical entity,’ said Prof. N. Joykumar, dean of Manipur University’s School of Social Sciences.
The strategists in New Delhi feel that a boundary commission would not only take care of the sensitivities of the states likely to be affected by the Nagalim demand, but would also convey to the Nagas a genuine effort on the part of New Delhi to address its central demand despite its contentious nature.
Given that the award of such a boundary commission can take years to come, it would help the Centre buy time and keep the NSCN(IM) engaged. The Naga outfit on its part, would be able to go back to its constituency with the claim of having extracted its pound of flesh from the Centre by getting it to “address” the Nagalim demand.
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