Assam not to attend Naga talks

In what may be called a political move, the Assam government is alleged to have not been cooperating in the Naga peace talks, contrary to the claim of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi who accused of not being consulted on the talks.

Disclosing that PM’s envoy for Naga talks R.N. Ravi had written letter to the Assam chief secretary asking for a consultation meeting on March 18 in New Delhi, security sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that the chief secretary, instead of responding to the interlocutor, chose to inform the home ministry a day before the scheduled meeting that they wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting because of ensuing elections in the state.

Pointing out that the issue of unifying the Naga dominated areas outside Nagaland has already been rejected, security sources said that there have been some issues of granting autonomy to Nagas for which consultation with respective states was required.