In a bid to assert himself, after his Ministry was left out of the entire process of finalisation of the “framework agreement” of the Naga peace accord, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has sought monthly status reports from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) chief R.N. Ravi, who is the interlocutor for the Naga peace talks.
The Home Minister decided to monitor the progress of the Assam peace talks as well and asked its interlocutor, P.C Haldar, to give a monthly update. The JIC reports to the Prime Minister’s Office, and Mr. Ravi signed the framework agreement on August 3.
Though Mr. Singh was present on the dais, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval by his side, the Home Ministry, which is the nodal department on Northeast issues, was kept out of the entire process.
“During the first week of every month, the Home Minister will seek a status update from both the interlocutors on the pace of peace talks on Naga as well as the Assam front,” said a senior government official.
The official denied that the step was being taken due to any rift with the PMO, but said the Minister ought to be abreast of the happenings on the peace front as it directly impacts the internal security scenario. “The peace talks have been going on for decades. It just shows the priority of the government to bring a closure to it,” said the official. Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs had shot off a letter to Mr. Ravi and asked for a copy of the “peace accord” signed by him with the NSCN (I-M). In a reply sent to the MHA on Wednesday, Mr. Ravi has reportedly said that “ceasefire ground rules will hold.”
As reported earlier, Mr. Singh sought an explanation from Mr. Ravi after his office started getting calls for clarity on the peace accord from various sections.
