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BJP President Amit Shah with chief ministers Sarbananda Sonowal of Assam, Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland and N Biren Singh of Manipur at the 3rd conclave of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) meeting in Guwahati on Sunday. (PTI)[/caption]
Dimapur, May 20 (EMN): The chief minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio on Sunday said although the Northeast states have ‘different background, history and culture’ the region still constitutes one entity; and unless the states learn to co-exist, the region will ‘face problems’.
According to press release from the media cell of the chief minister’s office, Rio shared this statement while addressing the third conclave of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) at the Srimanta Sankaradeva International Auditorium in Guwahati.
While lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA government’s ‘sincerity towards the Naga peace process’, he expressed optimism that the issue would be resolved soon. “In this, I seek the support of our sister north-eastern states and I assure you that Nagas do not mean to go against any state or any people but instead I hope that settlement brings us more unity and oneness and we will see that you are not deprived. The apprehensions which you fear will be mutually agreed upon so that we will co-exist in harmony,” he was quoted as saying.
On the contentious issue of inter-state border, Rio recognised the fact that there was a prolonged border issue with neighbouring states, particularly Assam, against which there was a long-pending case in the Supreme Court. “I was very happy the other day when Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma told me that the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal and we all should start talking and we should find an amicable settlement to our border issues. I fully support this and I feel that our neighbouring states should all come together to solve these issues because there are small things that can keep us divided for long time to come.”
Rio also highlighted the plight of air connectivity in Nagaland and, while appreciating the UDAN scheme, appealed to the government of India to expedite its implementation to boost regional air inter-connectivity.
Stating that it was very hard to travel to neighbouring states especially by road, Rio also rued the fact that there is only one route connecting Dimapur to Delhi via Kolkata. Therefore, it was important to connect the north-eastern states with each other, Rio added.
He lauded the national president of Bharatiya Janata Party, Amit Shah for setting up NEDA. According to Rio, NEDA was the right platform for leaders of the region to sit together and work for common interests. “We look forward to working together with the sister states.”
He also appreciated the BJP for ‘taking all smaller parties on board and treating them as equal stakeholders saying this was real democracy’. Rio further suggesting the idea of having a working group that could meet ‘more often’.
Rio thanked Modi, Shah, the rank and file of BJP, the Nagaland state unit of BJP and all the alliance partners for supporting the NDPP and ‘becoming a part of the NEDA family as its newest member’. He expressed hope that the BJP and alliance parties would continue to provide guidance and support to the NDPP. “Today, with the support and cooperation of the NDA government at the centre and the NEDA, we have a strong and stable government and we will continue to serve the people with utmost sincerity,” he added.
A host of ministers and advisors led by the chief minister and the deputy chief minister Y Patton from Nagaland attended the conclave.
