On eve of Winter Session of Parl, Amit Shah gets busy with northeast

"Mizoram CM Zoramthanga and I met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Everything was discussed in the meeting. Both state govts decided that we will maintain peace and tranquility on the Assam-Mizoram border. We'll deal with this very sensitively": Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma 

New Delhi:

All eyes are on winter session of Parliament set to get underway on Monday,
November 29.

Sources said Union Home Minister Amit Shah is keeping himself engaged
and well informed about the ground situation in Nagaland vis-a-vis peace talks
and on the Mizoram-Assam border dispute.

Enchanting Assam: 

Sources said Shah would be meeting Assam and Mizoram Chief Minsters Himanta Biswa Sarma and Zoramthanga respectively on Friday to end the border dispute between two states.

There is a border line of 164.4 km and dispute between the two states now exists for a long time now.

On Thursday evening, Mr Sarma hosted a dinner for his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga.

"We are both good friends and like brothers, I was invited by Himanta ji for dinner. We spent good time together," the Mizoram Chief Minister later said.

Sources, however, say two chief ministers meeting on the backdrop of border issues was like
'breaking of ice' after 1990s.

"Of course as state leaders they keep meeting, but we believe it is important that Mr Zoramthanga and Mr Sarma have met on the border issues may be informally for a dinner. This was as such the first political level dialogue between two Chief Minsters.

 In 1993, Assam CM Hiteshwar Saikia and Mizoram CM Lalthanhawla were supposed
to meet in Guwahati, but Lalthanhawla declined to attend. He wanted a neutral place," the source said. 

Earlier this year, the violence was triggered between police forces of two states resulting in killing
of five cops from Assam on July 27 along Lailapur-Vairengte.
Statehood was granted to Mizoram in 1987 but the border disputes with Assam have stayed on.

 
Till 1972, Mizoram was part of Assam till it attained Union Territory status.

Besides Mizoram-Assam border issue, sources say Amit Shah will be holding crucial round of meeting with Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio also.

The Naga peace talks were at advanced stage but certain objections from NSCN (IM) on the issues of Flag and Constitution.

At the state level, intensive parleys are on more in informal manner between various groups and tribal Hoho leaders.

Nagas have a sizeable presence in Manipur, which is go to the polls in Feb-March 2022 along with UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa.

Rio is expected to arrive New Delhi on Saturday. 

ends