[dropcap]C[/dropcap]hange of approach by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government under Narendra Modi in dealing with the underground organizations of the North East region has been witnessed. This approach has been not to hold dialogue with those outfits indulging in violence. This stand was reiterated by Union home minister Rajnath Singh at the closing ceremony of the 19th National Youth Festival on Monday in Guwahati.
“The doors are open for talks. India is a democratic country. So, we want the outfits to resolve issues democratically. However, we won’t talk to groups which indulge in violence,” he. Violence is a major challenge for the country and it has to stop. Violence will not be tolerated. It doesn’t matter how big a group could think itself to be, he warned. “Groups are formed to intimidate and extort people. I need the cooperation of the youth in the country to stop this,” the Union home minister added.
For years militant organizations have been resorting to violent activities to attract the attention of the government. Most of the major groups have already achieved their wishes. They are now engaging in dialogues with the government. Smaller groups are following suit. Most of them too are today sitting with the government. Seeing this happening there has been mushrooming of underground organizations in the region. This has become a sort of menace to the people as well as to the government in many ways. So, the stand of the Centre is understandable.
In 1997 the NSCN-IM and the government of India signed a ceasefire pact. The NSCN-K followed suit. Today, we see almost all the insurgency groups in the North East region are engaging in ceasefire agreements albeit in different tags and fashions. In Manipur alone, over two dozen underground organizations have entered the Suspension of Operation (SoO) pacts.
