SHILLONG:
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma will be leaving for Delhi tomorrow to take up the recent peace offer made by the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) with the Centre.
“In my visit to Delhi tomorrow…I will be meeting the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and I will be briefing them about the developments and discuss on how to take this (the process) forward. Once we get a nod from MHA, we will take the next step forward,” Sangma told the press on February 14.
On February 9, the HNLC had sent its official communication to the government reiterating its readiness for peace dialogue without any preconditions, a day after Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said a formal communication was required to initiate the process. The banned outfit had also demanded the government to speed up appointment of an interlocutor.
On February 10, home minister Lahkmen Rymbui had informed that the government has already shortlisted some names for the appointment of the interlocutor.
“While it is long overdue, we believe that by opening and sustaining the space for a dialogue and through consensus building, we will lead to the peaceful resolution of the three decades-old conflict,” he added.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that the Centre is ready to talk with the militant outfits of the Northeastern region to resolve their problems as the government always wants a permanent end to the violence.
When asked if Sangma will also meet Union home minister Amit Shah to discuss the inter-state border issue with Assam during his visit to New Delhi, the chief minister said that post the submission of the joint report by both the states and the ministry has asked the Survey of India and other departments to give a report to it.
“I am presuming that the MHA is waiting for those reports to come in and I am sure that in a very soon, the MHA will call us,” Sangma said. The chief minister also claimed that the Union Home Minister had called both the chief ministers last week, but due to his busy schedule the proposed meeting had to be postponed.