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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday, May 14, declined to stay the tabling of the final draft report of the Jammu and ...
17/05/2022

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday, May 14, declined to stay the tabling of the final draft report of the Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission in parliament.

According to the Hindu , it did not accept an oral plea made by the petitioners, Haji Abdul Gani Khan and Mohammad Ayub Mattoo, and asked them, 'Can we restrain them from tabling it in the parliament? If that is so, why did you take two years to challenge the delimitation notification?'

The top court sought a response from the Union government, Jammu and Kashmir administration, and the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the petitioners' plea challenging the government's decision to constitute a delimitation commission for redrawing assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in the Union Territory.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh asked them to file a fresh affidavit responding to the petitioners' challenge to the delimitation exercise within six weeks, and gave the petitioners two weeks to submit their rejoinder.

The petitioners were represented by senior advocate Ravi Shankar Jandhyala and advocates Sriram Parakkat and M.S. Vishnu Shankar.

'Are you challenging the report or the formation of the Commission…? You have come after the report has been filed,' Justice Kaul asked senior advocate Jandhyala, the Hindu reported.

With Delimitation Now Complete, J&K Politicians Allege Further Disempowerment of Kashmir

The petition asked why the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been 'singled out' when Article 170 of the constitution provides that the next delimitation in the country will be taken up after 2026. It further argued that the Union government had usurped the jurisdiction of the Election Commission by notifying the delimitation of Jammu and Kashmir.

It sought to declare that the Union government issued a notification dated March 6, 2020, constituting the delimitation commission to take up delimitation in the Union Territory of J&K and states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland. However, on March 3, 2021, it omitted Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland from the process of delimitation, therefore conducting delimitation only for Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The petition said this move is 'unconstitutional' as it amounts to classification and violates Article 14.

As per the report, the petition also alleged that the increase in the number of seats from 107 to 114 (including 24 seats in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was ultra vires both the Constitution and the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

It said any step to increase the number of seats in J&K would require a constitutional amendment besides changes in the Delimitation Act, 2002 and the Representation of People Act, 1950.

'When the last Delimitation Commission was set up on July 12, 2002, after the 2001 census, to carry out the exercise throughout the country, it had clearly stated that the total number of existing seats in the legislative assemblies of all states, including UTs of the National Capital Region and Pondicherry, fixed on the basis of the 1971 census, should remain unaltered till the census to be taken after the year 2026,' the petition argued.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that effectively the plea is two-fold and that delimitation can be conducted only by the ECI and not the delimitation commission. Secondly, he added the petitioners have raised questions about the census.

The answer to the questions is in the reorganisation Act. There are two types of delimitations: one is geography, which is conducted by the delimitation commission, and the second is by Election Commission with regard to reservation of seats, he said.

Mehta said that the petitioners' case is that once Article 370 is gone, the census will only take place in 2026.

The bench then noted that the petitioners have not challenged the reading down of Article 370 of the Constitution, and therefore, pleadings concerning Article 370 are to be ignored.

The top court said that the challenge is about the delimitation pursuant to the notifications of March 6, 2020, and March 3, 2021, and directed the Union government and the ECI to file their replies.

The case will be next heard on August 30.

(With inputs from PTI)

A civilian was injured when a powerful bomb exploded near a Durga Mandir at Tellipati in Imphal East on Friday evening. ...
17/05/2022

A civilian was injured when a powerful bomb exploded near a Durga Mandir at Tellipati in Imphal East on Friday evening. So far no terrorist group has claimed the responsibility for the blast.

Imphal: At least one civilian was injured when a powerful bomb exploded near a Durga Mandir at Tellipati in Imphal East on Friday evening. The injured person has been identified as Subar Prasad, a 30-year-old, who was rushed to Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal for treatment. According to doctors, the condition of Subar Prasad is stated to be out of danger. As the news of the bomb blast was received, a team of Manipur police led by IGP Themthing Mashangva, along with the Superintendant of Police Imphal East, rushed to the spot and took the stock of the situation. After the blast, people residing at the nearby place came out and reacted against the blast. So far, no terrorist group has claimed the responsibility for the blast.

Rules on linking Aadhaar with the electoral rolls can be issued by the government soon, Chief Election Commissioner Sush...
17/05/2022

Rules on linking Aadhaar with the electoral rolls can be issued by the government soon, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra has said, adding that sharing Aadhaar details will be voluntary for voters, but those not doing so will have to give "sufficient reasons".

New Delhi: Rules on linking Aadhaar with the electoral rolls can be issued by the government soon, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra has said, adding that sharing Aadhaar details will be voluntary for voters, but those not doing so will have to give "sufficient reasons". Chandra, who demits office on Saturday evening, also said that the poll panel played a key role in intensifying the vaccination drive in the five states where assembly elections concluded in March this year to ensure that voters and those involved in election duty were safe from the coronavirus.

In an interview with PTI, he said two major electoral reforms which took place in his tenure as the CEC are the provision of four dates in a year instead of one to enrol those turning 18 as voters and the linking of Aadhaar with electoral rolls to check duplicate entries in the voters' list. "Earlier, only January 1 of every year was the cut-off date. We convinced the government that this reform is very essential and these people should be enrolled as soon as they turn 18. With this reform now, there will be four dates in a year to get these people registered when they complete 18 years of age. This reform was pending for the last 20 years," Chandra said. The four cut-off dates for enrolment is part of a Bill passed by Parliament a few months back to allow linkage of Aadhaar with the electoral rolls.

As of now, those turning 18 on or before January 1 can be registered as voters. Those who turn 18 on January 2 or later have to wait for one year to register as a voter. But once the rules are issued, young people can get registered as voters on four different dates every year. "The second biggest reform is the linking of Aadhaar with electoral rolls to check duplicate entries. It will make the voter list pure. It will make the electoral roll more robust," he said. Asked when the rules will be notified by the government, Chandra said "I think very soon because we have already sent draft proposals in this regard. We have also sent the forms which are to be changed and they are with the (law) ministry. Very soon, I think they will be cleared. We will also have to tone up our IT system."

On whether sharing Aadhaar details will be voluntary, he replied in positive. "It will be voluntary. But sufficient reason will have to be given by voters for not giving their Aadhaar numbers. The reason may include not having an Aadhaar or not having applied for one or any other reason they can think of. I can not think of any other reason," the CEC said. Chandra was of the view that sharing Aadhaar number will help the EC to purify the voter list. It will also ensure that the poll panel is able to give more services to the voters through its communication system, he added. "If we know about the voter more clearly, then we can give more services such as when the elections will be held and booth (details) on their phone numbers... We should know clearly that he/she is the right person," Chandra said.

Asked about the biggest challenge he has faced as the CEC, he said the "toughest" one was to conduct elections in five states and various bypolls during COVID-19. "Because when these elections were coming near, we never thought at that time that Covid will intensify. Suddenly, we came to know about the onset of Omicron. We had to prepare as nobody knew much about this variant. "So suddenly, we had to gear up to make the voting process and the election machinery safe," he added. During this period, the EC intensified the vaccination process and ensured booster (precaution) doses for its polling personnel, including security forces.

CEC Sushil Chandra says authorised agents inside booths, scotches EVM tampering charges

"We had to take the unusual step of stopping campaigning in physical form. Initially, we said only door-to-door campaigning with just five people will be allowed and there will be more emphasis on digital campaigning," Chandra recalled. "We had regular meetings with health secretaries and chief secretaries of the states. We asked them to intensify vaccination and we kept a close watch every week. We were giving a very graded response to our campaigning methodology. We opened it gradually. By the time electioneering started, the vaccination rate was very high in all the five states, and the voters had been given the first or the second doses as per protocol," he added.

Chandra replied in positive when asked whether it was the EC which had in a way been responsible for intensifying the vaccination drive in the five states. "Definitely. In states where it was especially less like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur, we reviewed the situation and asked the chief sectaries and the health secretaries to boost the vaccination drive. "Each and every person should have taken at least the first dose. If the first dose had been administered, then the second should be given. In Uttar Pradesh, the first dose coverage was 100 per cent. The percentage of vaccination in Punjab and Manipur also went up. We took each and every step possible to check the spread of Omicron during the elections in these states so that the voters and the voting process can be safe," he said.

PTI

In Tripura, CM Biplab Deb suddenly surprised everyone by submitting his resignation to the governor on Saturday. By the ...
17/05/2022

In Tripura, CM Biplab Deb suddenly surprised everyone by submitting his resignation to the governor on Saturday. By the evening, the BJP high command announced the name of the new chief minister of the state.

However, this is not the first experiment done by the BJP. Earlier, changes in the CM posts were seen in Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka. The BJP rules in the four Northeast states. It offered chief ministerial posts to leaders who left the Congress and joined the saffron party. Here are the details of Congress leaders who left the grand old party and bagged the CM post after joining the BJP.

ASSAM: HIMANTA BISWA SARMA

Himanta Biswa Sarma became the 15th Chief Minister of Assam in the year 2021. He was given this responsibility in place of Sarbananda Sonowal. Himanta joined the BJP in 2015 after quitting the Congress.

Sarma's vigorous campaign in the 2016 Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was considered as one of the reasons for the BJP's victory. Himanta has been elected as MLA for the fifth consecutive time from the Jalukbari Assembly seat of Assam. Himanta Biswa Sarma was made a cabinet minister in Sonowal's government.

In the 2021 elections, Sarma won by a bumper margin of over 1 lakh votes. He was made the convener of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) by the BJP. Sarma made a big contribution in bringing the BJP to power in many states of the Northeast.

MANIPUR: N BIREN SINGH

N Biren Singh left the Congress in 2016 and joined the BJP, just a year before the 2017 Assembly elections in Manipur. After 15 years, a non-Congress government was formed in the state, and the BJP made N Biren Singh CM.

Biren Singh became the first CM of BJP in Manipur. He showed his stamina by winning the floor test of the assembly with the support of 33 MLAs of the BJP and its allies.

Earlier, Biren Singh was a minister in the government led by Ibobi Singh, but he resigned from the Pradesh Congress Committee. In the same year, in the election of 2022, the BJP contested in Manipur under the leadership of N Biren Singh and won. Biren started his career as a football player. Later, he joined the Border Security Force (BSF). After that, he turned to journalism.

N Biren Singh won the election for the fifth time from the Hingang seat.

NAGALAND: NEIPHIU RIO

Neiphiu Rio is the first chief minister in Nagaland to have won three elections in a row. Rio was a senior Congress leader. He quit Congress in 2002. He had resigned due to differences with the then CM SC Jamir on the Nagaland issue.

After that, Rio joined the Naga People's Front (NPF). It was associated with local political parties and the BJP. Under his leadership, the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) was formed. This alliance won the assembly elections in 2003.

At the same time, Congress was thrown out of power after 10 years and Neiphiu Rio became the Chief Minister of Nagaland for the first time. In 2008, the DAN coalition formed the government in the state and Rio became the CM.

In 2013, the NPF won a majority in Nagaland. Rio became CM for the third time. Later in January 2018, Rio joined the National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) after the NPF broke its alliance with the BJP.

Rio made an alliance with the BJP before the elections in 2018. On winning the election, he became the chief minister with the help of the BJP. Neiphiu started his political journey in 1989 and was the CM of Nagaland during 2003-08, 2008-13 and 2013-14.

TRIPURA: MANIK SAHA

Manik Saha left Congress and joined the BJP in 2016. After coming to the BJP, Manik was made the state party president in 2020 after four years. He also became the president of the Tripura Cricket Association.

Saha was recently nominated for Rajya Sabha and now he has been announced as the new CM. Manik Saha is a dentist by profession and his image is considered very clean. Manik is not considered to be of any camp in the BJP.

In a first in Manipur, 23 models walked the ramp wearing traditional costumes woven by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) ...
17/05/2022

In a first in Manipur, 23 models walked the ramp wearing traditional costumes woven by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) on Saturday.

The show was organised under the theme, 'Pick Local and Style in Global', at Ima Panthoibi Chareiphi and Sheloi Apanba at City Convention Centre in Imphal East.

The Ima Panthoibi Chareiphi and Sheloi Apanba are modern textiles, handloom and handicrafts emporiums based in Manipur.

While Social Welfare Minister H Dingo was the chief guest, retired director of Horticulture department Nongmeikapam Joymati was the president at the event.

ON A PAR

Indigenous handicrafts and handloom items such as baskets, laiphadibi, clay toy, ngarubak, lu, hidakphu, towel, knife, shawls, wrappers were displayed at the event which saw participation of 10 groups from different institutes and associations for persons with disability.

Various traditional dances were performed by students of BB Paul Mental Development Home, Mongsangei, Imphal West.

Th Sunibala, PwD, who worked at the Sheloi Apanba since 2015, said, "It was heartwarming to see the models wear those clothes. Such an event gives us encouragement and increases our willpower. I am glad to know that my work does not go to waste. Although I am physically challenged, I am a self-reliant woman, as I earn Rs 7,000 to 10,000 every month."

The models also expressed their gratitude. "Those dresses are as good as any designer's," said a model at the show.

THE ONLY STALL OWNER

Soibam Birla Devi Doll and Toy, Laipham Khunou, Imphal East, was the only one who opened a stall at the expo.

Speaking to the News18, Birla, who is in her wheelchair, expressed her happiness at socialising with different people in the expo.

She started practising the art of making 'Laiphadibi' at a young age and took part in events since 2004.

"I made two life-sized dolls," she said.

"We are trying to send a message to the world that their contribution towards society is no less than others," said Laishram Priyadarshini, proprietor of Sheloi Apanba, while speaking exclusively to News18.

She further expressed her dissatisfaction at Social Welfare department officials who allegedly refused to give any moral support despite several attempts.

"We are glad that newly inducted H Dingo attended the function," she added.

Guwahati: Domestic violence faced by women seems to be declining in most parts of northeast India, except Assam, if figu...
17/05/2022

Guwahati: Domestic violence faced by women seems to be declining in most parts of northeast India, except Assam, if figures of the recently released National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) are any indication.

The data for the latest survey collected in 2019-20 in seven states of the region from women aged between 18 and 49 years who were ever married, show that since 2015-16 (when NFHS-4 was conducted) six states witnessed a decline in domestic violence.

But women activists and experts from the region say that though the figures show a decline, they might not reflect the reality of the problem on the ground. The only exception was Assam where the figure increased from 24.5% in NFHS-4 to 32% in NFHS-5.

"The figures for Assam seem correct as it's unlikely that an abuser will change his behavioural pattern within a short span of few years between two surveys. In fact, the true figures for the state could be even higher than what's recorded in NFHS-5," said Polly Vauquline, professor at Gauhati University's women studies department.

"The figure for Assam could show an increase as there has been lot of groundwork done in the state on spreading awareness about domestic violence. But one has to go beyond the figures of NFHS-5 and look at the data more critically," she added.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures for 2020, the rate of crime against women in Assam was the highest in the country for the 4th consecutive year. Rate of crime against women in the state in 2020 was 154.3, which is way higher than the national rate of 56.5. Rate of crime is calculated as the number of total crimes recorded per 100,000 population.

Of the total cases of crime against women registered in 2020 in Assam, 11,408 were of cruelty by husband or his relatives under Section 498A of IPC. The report didn't have details of reported cases of domestic violence in the state.

"One reason why the figures could be high in Assam is because there was a rise in domestic violence during the Covid-19 lockdown. It led many women to reach police stations and file complaints," said Bhanita Nath, Guwahati's additional commissioner of police (women).

"Till 2021, we were required to register all complaints of domestic violence (even minor discord between couples) as FIRs. But from this year, the number of registered cases has gone down as we have started doing counselling of couples, which sorts out small differences," she added.

As per NFHS-5, in Tripura, the figures for domestic violence dropped from 28.1% to 20.7%, in Mizoram it came down from 17.1% to 10.9%, in Arunachal Pradesh it dropped from 31% to 24.8%, in Meghalaya it came down from 28.8% to 16% and in Nagaland it dropped from 13.1% to 6.4%-the lowest among all states in the region.

"Random sampling in case of sensitive issues like domestic violence (as was done in NFHS-5) might not give accurate figures as lot of times women are not comfortable admitting they have faced domestic violence," said Vauquline.

"Some women are not even aware of the different types of domestic violence. It is only when they face extreme physical abuse, they think of it as violence. But mental harassment and economic deprivation are also types of domestic violence," she added.

As per NFHS-5, the figures for domestic violence (as mentioned by respondents to the survey) in Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were lower than the national figure of 29.3% (a marginal drop from 31.2% in NFHS-4).

The only exception was Manipur where despite a drop from 53.2% in NFHS-4 to 39.6% in NFHS-5, it was 10% more than the national figure.

"Manipur's high figures could be due to awareness campaigns launched in past years. But I feel if more women had come out and disclosed about domestic violence they face, the numbers would have been much higher than what NFHS-5 recorded," said Nonibala Narengbam, a women's activist from Manipur.

"We need to be cautious while interpreting the figures. The indicators from the ground are alarming and the state government needs to do lot of homework to bring down the figures in true sense," she added.

Chairperson of Manipur state commission for women, Thumlip Tiningpham Monsang, said figures for the state were the highest among all NE states as there is more reporting of such cases due to efforts taken by the government and NGOs to spread awareness.

In Meghalaya, a predominantly matrilineal society where inheritance and lineage among the state's three major tribes (Khasi, Jaintia and Garo) are traced through the mother's clan-the NFHS-5 figures for domestic violence showed a drop of nearly 13%.

"It doesn't matter whether a society is matrilineal or not as cases are very much prevalent in Meghalaya as well. I am very doubtful about the figures showing a decline in Meghalaya and most other NE states," said Theilin Phanbuh, social worker and former chairperson of Meghalaya State Commission for Women.

"I think the figures could be much higher than the NFHS-5 survey. Like other states, most women in Meghalaya don't come out to report about domestic violence as they feel it's a family matter and there some stigma attached to the subject," she added. .

All experts said the Covid19 pandemic and long period of lockdown also played a role in domestic violence. They said domestic violence increased as couples were confined inside homes at the time of lockdown. But not everyone was able to report about the abuse due to the lockdown.

The party also promised to give 50% reservation to those below 50 years of age at all levels.The Congress Working Commit...
17/05/2022

The party also promised to give 50% reservation to those below 50 years of age at all levels.
The Congress Working Committee on Sunday approved a "one family, one ticket" rule with riders along with other organisational reforms to prepare the party for the next round of Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, PTI reported.

At its Chintan Shivir (introspection meeting) in Rajasthan's Udaipur, the Congress said that under the "one family, one ticket" rule, a waiver will apply for a second family member who has worked in the party for at least five years. This makes Congress working president Sonia Gandhi along with her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, eligible to contest polls.

To give opportunities to other candidates, the Congress top decision making body on Sunday decided that no person can hold a party position for over five years. The party also promised to give 50% reservation to those below 50 years of age at all levels.

Three new departments - public insight, election management and national training - will also be set up to bring about organisational changes, PTI reported.

Sonia Gandhi also approved a proposal to form a political advisory group from members of the Congress Working Committee to address problems. The group will not be a decision making body, but the party would benefit from the vast experience of senior leaders, the Congress said. The composition of the task force will be notified within three days.

Sonia Gandhi announces 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'

Meanwhile, on the concluding day of the three-day Chintan Shivir, Sonia Gandhi announced a public outreach initiative called the "Bharat Jodo Yatra" (Unite India March). The party has planned to launch it from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2.

"The yatra is to strengthen the bonds of social harmony that are under stress, to preserve the foundational values of our Constitution that are under assault and to highlight the day-to-day concerns of crores of our people," Gandhi said, according to PTI.

The party will also launch the second phase of the district-level "Jan Jagran Abhiyan" or the mass agitation programme from June 15. The campaign will highlight economic problems, growing unemployment and inflation in the country.

At the Chintan Shivir, Gandhi told party members that a task force will be set up for internal reforms.

"I have also decided to have an advisory group drawn from the Congress Working Committee that would meet regularly under my chairpersonship to discuss and deliberate upon political issues and challenges before our party," she added. "We will undoubtedly leave re-energised with a refreshed spirit of collective purpose."

Rahul Gandhi says connection with people broken

Rahul Gandhi, the former Congress chief, acknowledged that the party's connection with the people has been broken, PTI reported.

"Our fight is for ideology," he told members. "We have to go to the people and sit with them, the connection the party had with people has to be re-established."

Gandhi added that there is no shortcut to re-connect with the citizens and stressed that the Bharat Jodo Yatra will help.

He said that the party has always provided a platform to hold discussions without any fear. "The only alternative to a conversation between the people of India is violence between people of India," he said, according to PTI.

Gandhi also alleged that systematic destruction of various institutions in India was underway and there is fear that the country's demographic dividend will turn into a demographic disaster, PTI reported. He held the Bharatiya Janata Party responsible for this.

The Chintan Shivir came in the backdrop of the party's dismal performance in the 2022 Assembly polls in five states - Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. It lost Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party and failed to wrest power from the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

The Congress has also been facing resistance from members of the Group of 23, or G-23, which comprises Congress leaders who have been seeking an organisational overhaul in the party since 2020.

Days before the Chintan Shivir, Congress President Sonia Gandhi had said that the party needs self-criticism but not in a manner that erodes morale and creates an atmosphere of "gloom and doom".

In a shocking development, an earthquake was felt in Assam's Guwahati at around 9.48 pm on Sunday. Being an earthquake-p...
17/05/2022

In a shocking development, an earthquake was felt in Assam's Guwahati at around 9.48 pm on Sunday. Being an earthquake-prone state, there have been several minor earthquakes in the past.

As per reports, tremors were felt both in and around Guwahati. Before this, a moderate intensity earthquake was also felt in Assam's Sonitpur district in the month of January. It is important to note that the North East region falls in the high seismic zone.

Earthquakes in North East India

In January, two earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 and 3.8 had hit parts of the North East region in a span of 30 minutes, National Center for Seismology had said. The first earthquake of magnitude 3.5 took place at 2.11 am that day and the epicentre was in Cachar district of Assam. The depth of the quake was 35 km. The second tremor of magnitude 3.8 was recorded at 2.39 am with the epicentre in Manipur's Kangpokpi area. The depth was 20 km, the nodal agency of the Centre for monitoring of earthquake had said.

A quake of magnitude 4 on the Richter scale was recorded in Kangpokpi on January 13. Three more jolts hit various parts of Manipur since the beginning of the new year, including two on January 4 in Tamenglong and Chandel areas. Another one was in Kamjong on January 16.

Will oust BJP from Assam: TMC's Abhishek Banerjee

Assam floods kill three

This comes on a day when severe flooding in the state of Assam has affected a total of 24,681 people in 94 villages across six districts. The torrential rains that washed away a portion of a road in the Haflong area in Assam's Dima Hasao district, claimed the lives of three people including a woman.

In Assam, TMC's Abhishek Banerjee reignites CAA debate; says 'BJP using it as a carrot'

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority informed that six districts including Cachar, Dhemaji, Hojai, Karbi Anglong West, Nagaon, and Kamrup (Metro) have been affected by floods. In a recent update, landslides have been reported from 12 villages in the Dima Hasao district and over 80 houses have been severely affected. On Saturday, May 14, the PWD road connecting Hojai and West Karbi Anglong districts submerged under floodwaters in the Hojai district.

(With Agency Inputs)

As and when the 25 years (and still counting) of protracted negotiations on the Naga issue gets finally resolved, it wil...
17/05/2022

As and when the 25 years (and still counting) of protracted negotiations on the Naga issue gets finally resolved, it will also be a veritable model for the way forward with the unrelenting insurgent groups from Assam and Manipur, writes Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi: Although cynicism is the abiding theme on the issue now because of its prolonged delay, the process and outcome of the Naga pact, if and when it comes around, can be the veritable key template for resolution with the other armed insurgencies of the NE region, which the Indian security establishment should not lose sight of.

That is the reason why the developments on the Naga talks issue are being watched with keen interest by insurgent leaders like Paresh Baruah, supremo of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) (ULFA-I).

During an interview on Sunday to 'News Live', a leading Guwahati-headquartered regional English TV channel, Baruah said: "So far there has not been a great deal to learn from the accords between the Indian government and some groups in NE. There has been nothing so far."

For anyone familiar with the process of how accords with NE insurgent outfits are framed in New Delhi's North Block which houses the Union home ministry-the nodal ministry on NE insurgency-previously signed accords are referred to, compared with and tallied for constructing any new framework of agreement.

At least seven decades old, making it among the world's longest-running insurgencies, the Naga issue continues to evade a final resolution despite an ongoing protracted negotiations process that has continued for a quarter of a century.

With demands ranging from greater say in local governance to total secession from India, the NE India region has been fertile ground for many insurgencies. These insurgencies can be grouped into two broad categories-those that can be resolved within the constitutional boundaries and those without. While the former are easy to dispense with, the latter are the more tricky ones.

Distinguishing between the various armed insurgencies, the guerrilla leader said: "Some accords are very easy that are inside the Indian Constitution. like the Bodo or the Karbi accords (in Assam). Those are very simple."

Pointing out that Bodos, Karbis, etc took to weapons only to wake up the political leadership for addressing their genuine grievances, Baruah asked: "But why not the Nagas who have been struggling on the basis of their historical rights. It is difficult, you have to come out of the Indian Constitution."

"Perpetual talks with Nagas, when will it end no one knows. The government of India is playing a dirty game. They are lingering. Great leaders-Isak is no more, Khole is no more. No one knows how long the honourable Mr Muivah Sir is going to be alive. That is a question mark."

The ULFA (I) should be keenly interested in developments with the Naga movement. Its objectives fundamentally align with those of the NSCN factions-the main Naga insurgent group, the PLA or the UNLF of Manipur-that aim at total independence on the basis of the right of self-determination.

Conceding the futility of taking on the might of the Indian security establishment through an armed movement, Baruah said: "We never said we can defeat India militarily. When we raised our voice, India used guns against us. We have taken up guns in self-defence. It (ULFA movement) is a political movement that needs a political solution. We are not opposed to fruitful talks."

This is an interesting position in the backdrop of Baruah's indicated willingness to kick-start a talks process with the Indian government, facilitated by the Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, but with the core issue of sovereignty being the single-point item of discussion on the agenda.

"We always welcome conflict resolution talks process between Indian government and ULFA (I). So far we do not have any knowledge of the proposal of the talks," the ULFA (I) leader said adding that for talks to take place, Assam's sovereignty has to be the single agenda item of discussions. "Single agenda sovereignty... that's enough," Baruah added.

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