Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Nagaland counterpart Neiphiu Rio held in-camera talks with NSCN(IM) chief negotiator Thuingleng Muivah in Dimapur on Tuesday, a government official said.
A day after talks between the Center and the NSCN(IM) resumed to find a solution to the Naga political issue, Nagaland minister Neeba Kronu also confirmed the talks.
The NSCN (IM) is holding talks with political leaders for the first time since it started talks with the Center in 1997.
NSCN (IM) leader R Rising told reporters on Monday after Muivah’s meeting with Centre’s interlocutor AK Mishra in Dimapur, “We have never held talks with political leaders…
Asked whether Sarma has been officially appointed to hold talks with Naga interlocutors, Kronu told PTI, “He is assisting us as he is the convener of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and know the issue.”
He, however, refused to divulge details of the discussions between Sarma and the NSCN (IM) leadership. Sarma later tweeted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are committed to ensuring “lasting peace” in the North East.
“Today in Dimapur, we discussed with the representatives of NSCN(IM) in the presence of Nagaland HCM Shri Neiphiu Rio about the ongoing peace talks with the Government of India.
The Assam Chief Minister said, “We all wish that the ongoing peace talks reach a concrete conclusion soon. I also discussed the political scenario of Nagaland with the HCM as well as the upcoming Nagaland Assembly elections and the role of NEDA in this.”
Kronu also said that Sarma also held meetings with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive (NDPP) and state BJP presidents. It was Sarma who formally announced an alliance between the BJP and the NDPP ahead of the 2018 Nagaland Assembly elections.
The minister said it was a courtesy visit to reaffirm that the BJP and the NDPP would continue to be partners for the 2023 state elections as well. He said Chief Minister Rio and Deputy CM Y Patton were also present during the meeting of political parties with Sarma.
Responding to a question, Kronu said there was no discussion in the meeting on the newly formed all-party government in Nagaland, United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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