Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the demand for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 would see some positive developments in the next 45 days.
He also said the Assam government would take some pragmatic decisions on the contentious Act as the “era of tribal militancy” was over.
“The approach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Amit Shah is very positive. The formation of the committee with a clear deadline of 45 days regarding the partial or full withdrawal of AFSPA from Nagaland is a very important step,” the Chief Minister told journalists in Guwahati on Saturday.
He said the initiative would build confidence and have a domino effect on other issues in Nagaland and elsewhere in the northeast.
Tribal organisations in Nagaland have been angry with the Centre for extending the AFSPA in the State by six months from December 30. They said it was an attempt to “rub salt on the wounds” caused by the botched Army operation that took the lives of 13 civilians in Mon district’s Oting on December 4.
The optimism of Mr Sarma, who has been roped in by the Centre for resolving the crisis arising out of the Oting incident, is expected to assuage tempers in Nagaland.
The Chief Minister also hinted at the withdrawal of the AFSPA from Assam.
“Barring five-six districts, Army has been virtually withdrawn from Assam. The Assam government will take some pragmatic decisions in consultations with the state’s Home Department when AFSPA comes for review,” he said.
The end of tribal insurgency could be a factor in reviewing the AFSPA, he said while crediting the tribal leaders for the return of peace in the State.
“The tribal people are determined to not allow anyone to indulge in militancy. When the civil societies are so firmly with you, I don’t see the eruption of tribal insurgency unless we do some gross injustice to them,” Mr. Sarma said.
He also said the State government has received positive vibes from the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent, but the only stumbling block was its chief Paresh Baruah’s insistence on discussing the sovereignty of Assam.
“But given my personal interactions with people who are directly or indirectly in touch with Paresh Baruah, it is clear that he wants a negotiated settlement. We are working towards creating a new position where both parties feel it is not very difficult to talk,” he said.
On the interstate boundary disputes, he said the “spirit of the northeast” gets defeated when the states fight among themselves. He was confident Assam’s disputes with Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya would be partially resolved within this year.
The Chief Minister also said the Centre has approved a ₹6,000 crore project to construct a 35 km elevated corridor skirting the Kaziranga National Park and a strategic rail-cum-road tunnel under the Brahmaputra River in central Assam.
