DIPHU, 28 Apr: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that efforts are on to remove the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA completely from the Northeast region.
Addressing a ‘Peace, unity and development’ rally here in Assam, he said that the AFSPA could be withdrawn from various parts of the region as the law and order situation has improved in the last eight years.
“As the (law and order) situation improved with 75 percent decrease in violence in the region, there have been changes in the imposition of laws. The AFSPA was first revoked in Tripura and then in Meghalaya,” he said.
The previous governments in Assam in the last three decades had extended it again and again as there was no improvement in the law and order situation, Modi said.
“Due to the proper control of the situation in the last eight years, the AFSPA has been removed from most parts of the state. We are trying to withdraw it from the remaining parts too.
“The Act is applicable in some areas of Nagaland and Manipur, and we are working speedily to revoke it completely,” he said.
In a major outreach to the Northeast region, the Centre had announced reduction of the disturbed areas imposed under the AFSPA in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur from 1 April, after decades.
The government has entered into peace agreements in Assam’s Karbi Anglong and in Tripura, while efforts are on to ensure permanent peace and speedy development in the entire region, Modi said.
“Several outfits of Karbi Anglong returned to the mainstream to march forward in the path of peace and development. The Bodo Agreement in 2020 paved the way for peace in the region and in Tripura; the NLFT also came forward for peace, while the two-and-a-half decades long Bru-Reang issue was resolved,” he said.
Permanent peace returned to the region, and speedy development in the northeastern states was ensured due to a collective effort of the Centre and the state governments, Modi said.
He stated that this process is “on and will continue in the future.”
“Earlier, the Northeast was known for bomb blasts and violence and the worst sufferers were our mothers, sisters and children. Now as I see the smile on their faces when the youths have given up their arms, I feel god is showering blessings on me,” the PM said.
The Centre has always tried to resolve difficulties of people in Karbi Anglong and other tribal areas with the policy of ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas’, he added.
“I have tried to understand each problem of the region as a member of your family and respect your dreams and aspirations. People have explained their problems and I have tried to resolve them sensitively as a member of your family,” Modi said at the rally.
Besides, efforts have been made to solve the boundary disputes among the states in the region in a cordial manner, he said.
“I want to especially thank Chief Minister of Assam (Himanta Biswa Sarma) along with his counterparts from the northeastern states as their efforts are helping the region emerge as a strong economic power,” Modi said.
The recent boundary agreement between Meghalaya and Assam will encourage the others to resolve the issues and help them march forward, he said. (PTI)
