PM promises to remove AFSPA if NE normalises

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government was committed to bring in lasting peace in conflict zones in the Northeast and assured that the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) shall be removed if things return to normal.

While addressing two massive public rallies at Loringthepi, Diphu in Karbi Anglong and Dibrugarh he said, “We are changing rules. AFSPA is removed from some areas because there is peace. In other areas, too, it will be removed if there is peace.”

“We are working for sabka saath, sabka biswas, sabka prayas. We are working in speed to implement all the peace accords,” the PM said.

“The recent agreement between Assam and Meghalaya will encourage others also,” he said.

After addressing the public rally in Karbi Anglong the PM was flown to Dibrugarh where he inaugurated a cancer care centre in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.  It has been developed by Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF), a joint venture of the Assam government and Tata Trusts. He also virtually inaugurated six other similar cancer care facilities in Barpeta, Tezpur, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Kokrajhar and Darrang and also laid the foundation of seven new cancer hospitals at Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, Siva-sagar, Nalbari, Nagaon and Tinsukia under the project at the same event.