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Advani denies move for Greater Nagaland

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani has denied that the Centre had acted hastily in deciding to extend the ceasefire with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah faction) outside Nagaland.

Advani told rediff.com that the decision was taken after "due consultations".

Last week the government's interlocutor, K Padmanabhaiah, and NSCN (I-M) leader Thuingaleng Muivah had agreed to extend their ceasefire for one more year and also increase its territorial scope to other states in the Northeast. Of these, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have substantial Naga populations.

It has been a longstanding demand of the NSCN to merge all Naga-dominated areas in the Northeast with Nagaland. This is why the chief ministers of the other states have been wary of the extension of the ceasefire to their territories.

Advani admitted that the situation in Manipur, where the speaker and four other legislators were burned when an angry mob set the assembly building alight, was bad.

"We have been in constant touch with Governor Ved Marwah and he told me that the situation is now under control though there has been violence in Imphal today," he said.

The home minister appealed to the people of the state to remain calm and help the government restore normalcy, promising that their misgivings about a Greater Nagaland would be taken care of.

Advani said the National Democratic Alliance was committed to ensuring the integrity of the states of the Northeast and the ceasefire with the NSCN did not mean any of their demands had been conceded.

Advani said the Centre had rushed more paramilitary forces to the state, but refused to give any figures.

PTI Adds: The Bharatiya Janata Party also said there was no plan to divest any portion of Manipur or any other state and include it in Nagaland.

It accused some parties of trying to create 'misgivings' on this score in the minds of people in the Northeast.

"It is most unfortunate that the implication of the agreement has not been understood by the people and political parties of Manipur," general secretary Sunil Shastri told reporters.

The agreement entered into by the Centre with the NSCN (I-M) clearly sets out the stipulation that the extension of the ceasefire, though without territorial limits, would not affect the territorial integrity of any other state, he said.

Asked about opposition from some political parties in Manipur, including the Samata Party, on the issue, Shastri said the Samata Party could bring the matter to the NDA co-ordination committee where it would be sorted out.

Shastri gave a similar reply to a question on the Samata Party's allegation that it was not taken into confidence before a decision was taken to extend the ceasefire.

Referring to Monday's eruption of large-scale violence in Imphal, Shastri said the Centre was aware of the situation and was collecting information about the developments.

He said Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani had already assured Governor Ved Marwah that there was no question of Manipur's territorial integrity being threatened in any way.

"The NDA, as laid down in its common minimum programme, is committed to maintaining the territorial integrity of Manipur and other northeastern states and will certainly honour that commitment," he declared.

RELATED REPORTS:
Manipur speaker, 4 MLAs burnt in mob fury
Koijam urges Centre to review pact with NSCN
All parties in Manipur oppose ceasefire, admits George

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