Overview
The Indian National Congress has arraigned the government to be complicit in the violence that has rocked the Northeastern Indian states of Assam and Mizoram, stemming from a raging border dispute and intrastate clashes within Meghalaya.
The party has strongly condemned the current situation and criticized the Central government for being inactive and inept to continue “unprecedented cycles of” lawlessness, heated conflicts, and pugilistic clashes.
Pointing out the delicate and volatile situation of hostility betwixt Assam and Mizoram, the Chinese aggression and incursion into Arunachal Pradesh by building an illegal construction, and also the alleged violation of the non-starter peace accord of Nagaland, the Congress claims that BJP is turning a blind eye to the sorry state of affairs.
Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala in a biting statement directed towards Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that it exposes the obliviousness and also the “indifferent, criminally aloof hands-off approach” of the BJP government, which is akin to weeding out the wheat from the chaff – a reference to BJP’s rise in power in the Northeastern states through the forging of unlikely alliances and formation of a coalition government, to stay in control. This, he says, often indirectly foments trouble whilst compromising decisiveness.
Disputes
The border dispute between Assam & Mizoram is not a new occurrence and dates back to 150 years ago. The dispute, however, had never before transformed into three physical, bloody violence.
It escalated on 4th August 2021 after a shootout between cops of the two states that left five Assam police officers dead and over 50 injured.
Tensions had been simmering for a while, with the Mizoram government claiming that Assam had stroked it after deploying armed forces a stone’s throw away from
the sub-divisional headquarters.
This took two days after Mr. Amit Shah held closed-door discussions to solve these issues.
On the other hand, the death of a militant leader has derailed peace talks between the Meghalaya government and a banned militant outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), which caused them to issue threats toward the Chief Minister for
non-compliance and brazen abuse of their terms and warned him against dire consequences.
Meanwhile, the Home Minister has resigned, and a few regions in the state are placed under curfew.
Earlier this year, China had defended its construction of a village in Arunachal Pradesh by claiming that it was its territory and they had every right to do so.
This is in clear violation of a ceasefire and peace settlement announced after the 1962 Sino- Indian War.
China frequently touts the Akshai Chin region as its own, a claim refuted by India, especially the locals of the state.
The AICC has demanded an explanation from Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah and has questioned their silence and proactivity on the issue, which, they remarked, exposed their weak and meek mature and sheer incapability of robust governance.
Surjewala further added that it is high time that the government should stop abdicating responsibility.
