Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he has been given permission by Home Minister Amit Shah to conduct preliminary negotiations with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on Monday.
The Assam chief minister and convenor of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) stated he is somewhat involved in the ongoing peace discussions with the NSCN-IM, but that he is not officially holding any negotiations with the organisation.
Central government involvement
He reaffirmed that he is a part of the continuing peace process with the NSCN-IM, but that he is not officially negotiating with the Naga rebel group.
“I raised the issue of holding peace negotiations with the ULFA with the home minister. He has given me authorization to begin preliminary negotiations with the ULFA,” he told reporters.
CM Sarma further stated that if things continue to go well, the central government may become involved in the ULFA peace talks at a later date.
“In the past, as convenor of the NEDA, I have spoken to several political parties (in Nagaland),” he continued.
CM to travel to Nagaland as convenor of the NEDA
He also stated that as the convenor of the NEDA, he would visit Nagaland on Tuesday to study the state’s political situation after opposition parties joined the administration.
In response to a question about the National Register of Citizens (NRC), he stated that the central and state governments are on the same page in their desire to have the NRC reviewed in Assam.
However, because the NRC was created under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court, only the Supreme Court will make a judgement in this matter.
Central and state governments on the same page
In response to another query, Sarma stated that he had no plans to restructure his ministry at this time.
The chief minister said he would visit Nagaland as convenor of the NEDA on Tuesday to study the state’s political scenario after opposition parties joined the government.
In the context of NRC, he said both the central and state governments are on the same page in demanding a review of the NRC in Assam.
Himanta Biswa Sarma is the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the region’s version of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). On May 10, Sarma took over as Assam’s chief minister.
