Terming the Centre’s decision to lift the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from large parts of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur “historic”, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said peace had been restored in the northeastern region.
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At a press conference here, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is an MP from Arunachal Pradesh, said the region was now part of the national “mainstream”, all set to become the country’s most important economic hub. He attributed the achievement to the two-pronged approach of the Narendra Modi-led government: of development and dialogue with disgruntled groups in the region.
Mr. Rijiju said after Mr. Modi became the Prime Minister, the previous “Look East” policy turned into “Act East” policy, owing to which the northeastern States were now in a transformative mode. The Prime Minister, during his tenure so far, had visited the region about 50 times, he said.
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Stating that development and peace were interlinked, the Union Minister said the very fact that AFSPA had been removed in most part of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur meant that peace had been restored there, barring some areas where the situation would improve. He said the Prime Minister’s vision of lifting the Act off the entire region would soon be accomplished.
The Minister said in 2015, the Act had been removed completely from Tripura, then from some districts of Assam and subsequently from Arunachal Pradesh, except for three districts. The latest decision was being welcomed by the people of the northeastern region, including civil society members and political leaders, he said.
Mr. Rijiju said under Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s leadership, the Ministry of Home Affairs implemented the Prime Minister’s vision effectively by actively engaging with the region’s political leaders. Several long-standing inter-State border disputes were being handled properly.
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The first part of major differences between Meghalaya and Assam had been settled, while the rest would be resolved soon. The first phase of addressing the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary issues was expected to begin by the end of the month. The Assam-Nagaland and the Mizoram-Assam border disputes were also being addressed, the Minister said.
Mr. Rijiju said in the past few years, peace accords had been signed with various insurgent groups. On the development front, ₹76,000 crore was allocated this year. Besides, the Centre’s flagship schemes were being implemented across the region.
It was now up to the people of and the State governments to effectively make use of the resources, he said.
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the Central government under Mr. Modi did not shy away from identifying and amicably resolving issues, however big.
“Earlier, disruption and protest was the norm in the northeastern States, now progress and integration is the norm. A very welcome change not only for the people of the northeast but for the entire country... it is becoming the growth engine of our country,” he said.