‘Cong keeping Assam-Naga dispute alive’

The BJP today alleged that the Congress at the Centre and Assam was keeping the Assam-Nagaland boundary dispute ‘‘alive’&#146...

The BJP today alleged that the Congress at the Centre and Assam was keeping the Assam-Nagaland boundary dispute ‘‘alive’’, for ‘‘political benefits’’. Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Bijoya Chakravarty on his return to the state capital after a two-day visit of the disputed border areas in Golaghat district, said the Congress instead of finding a solution was further complicating things by recognising large tracts of Assam as ‘‘disputed’’ after those were encroached by Nagaland.

‘‘Every time Nagaland encroached some portions of Assam land, the government accepted it as disputed. A situation has come when large tracts of land have gone into Nagaland’s occupation and Assam is watching it as a helpless spectator,’’ Chakravarty said.

She said two Assam Police vehicles escorting her team to the areas under Nagaland’s encroachment were not allowed to enter the ‘‘disputed’’ areas by the neutral force comprising CRPF. ‘‘But we saw Nagaland Police vehicles freely moving there,’’ Chakravarty said. ‘‘This is enough to prove how ineffective the Assam government is.’’

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The situation along the border in Golaghat has been tense for a couple of weeks with the Assam government complaining of ‘‘incursions’’ by Nagaland. CM Tarun Gogoi told the Assembly last week that his government had written to the Centre to intervene.

Nagaland was carved out as a state from the erstwhile Naga Hills district of Assam in 1963, and various Naga groups have been demanding inclusion of more areas in the state since. The Assam government, however, wants the 1935 boundary demarcation of the Naga Hills district by the British as the basis for any solution. The case has been pending disposal in the Supreme Court for over two decades.

The Speaker, too, had led an all-party delegation to the Centre last week to impress New Delhi on how serious the Naga ‘‘encroachment’’ have been.

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