In the line of opposition fire for allegedly keeping the nation in the dark about the Naga peace accord, the BJP on Saturday said the Centre had taken the Nagaland chief minister onboard while firming up the accord and assured that it will not impinge on the interests of states bordering Nagaland.
Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Saturday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh here, and sought a copy of the accord signed between the central government and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) on August 3.
The Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government of signing the peace accord without taking any stakeholder into confidence, and overlooking the Constitution in doing so.
BJP leader and union minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang was kept in the loop and had met Modi two days before the accord was inked.
"The chief minister has been continuously in dialogue with the prime minister and he met him even today (Saturday)," she said.
Zeliang on Saturday met Modi and said that states bordering Nagaland need not worry about their territory, but added that the content of the peace accord was not yet out.
"I also do not know anything about the accord. There is a need for the government to solve the Naga issue and it is doing it steadily," Zeliang told a TV channel after meeting Modi.
He said he will meet Naga peace talks interlocuter R.N. Ravi on August 16 over the issue.
In Guwahati, union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju accused the chief ministers of the Congress-ruled states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh of having initially welcomed the peace accord and later backtracking.
"The chief ministers are making contradictory statements on the direction of (Congress chief) Sonia Gandhi which was not a good sign," Rijiju said and appealed to the Congress not to politicise the issue.
Rijiju said the security scenario has improved in the northeast but it needs to be improved further.
"The central government wants to develop the region as a commercial hub with its neighbours and improved security scenario is a prerequisite for this. This peace accord will help improve the security scenario in the region further," he said.
MORE India ARTICLES
Modi Attacks Nitish And His Allies, Hints At Bihar Special Package
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday denounced Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, only hours after sharing a stage with him, and RJD leader Lalu Prasad as he formally kickstarted the NDA's campaign for the Bihar assembly polls.
Modi Attacks Nitish And His Allies, Hints At Bihar Special Package
Jung Returns Fire, Calls Kejriwal's Remarks Unbecoming Of Cm
Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for ridiculing and calling him Prime Minister Narendra Modi's man, saying such remarks were unbecoming of the head of a government.
Jung Returns Fire, Calls Kejriwal's Remarks Unbecoming Of Cm
Love Affairs, Impotency Behind Farmer Suicides: Indian Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh
Dowry, love affairs and impotency were among the reasons for the deaths of over 1,400 farmers in 2014, union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Friday.
Love Affairs, Impotency Behind Farmer Suicides: Indian Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh
Parliament Logjam Continues As Government, Opposition Lock Horns
Both houses of parliament were disrupted again on Friday, washing out the first week of the monsoon session without transacting any major business.
Parliament Logjam Continues As Government, Opposition Lock Horns
Delhi Serial Rapist-Killer Ravinder Kumar Sent To Judicial Custody
A court here on Thursday sent serial killer and rapist Ravinder Kumar to Tihar Jail till August 5, declining the police plea for four days custody.
Delhi Serial Rapist-Killer Ravinder Kumar Sent To Judicial Custody
Jung, AAP Government Spat Again - Over DCW Chief
Delhi's Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and the AAP government were locked in another spat on Wednesday, with Jung rejecting the city government's appointment of Swati Maliwal as the new chief of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW).