BJP MPs from Northeast meet PM Modi over Assam-Mizoram dispute, accuse Congress of ‘politicising issue’

As many as 16 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs from Northeastern states met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and submitted a memorandum over the recent tension between Assam and Mizoram on border row and accused the Congress of politicising the issue.

The memorandum praised the Modi-led NDA government’s “development work in the Northeast”, calling it “historic and unparalleled”.

The BJP MPs said they want to convey to all those elements who view the Assam-Mizoram issue as a means of “spreading chaos in India, that their shenanigans will not work”.

Speaking to the media post the meeting, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju accused “elements from outside our country” of “fuelling violence by making inciting statements”.

According to news agency PTI, the PM told the MPs that the Northeast is close to his heart. Rijiju said PM Modi has asserted that he doesn’t look at the region from the prism of politics.

The memorandum to the PM also stated that the BJP MPs were “pained by the frequent disruptions of the Congress, which deny us our Parliamentary privilege of raising pro-people issues from our constituents.”

Of those who met the PM, 12 MPs are from Assam, two from Arunachal Pradesh and one each from Manipur and Tripura.

Meanwhile, Mizoram Governor K Hari Babu met PM Modi earlier in the day and stated that the Union Home Ministry is trying to find a solution to the border row. “Both chief ministers (of Assam and Mizoram) have committed that peace will be restored,” he said.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma echoed similar sentiments on Twitter, praising Mizoram CM Zoramthanga’s efforts towards ensuring peace. “I have noted statements in media by Honble CM @ZoramthangaCM wherein he has expressed his desire to settle the border dispute amicably. Assam always wants to keep the spirit of North East alive,” he tweeted.

He has ordered the police to withdraw the FIR against Mizoram MP K Vanlalvena, PTI reported, however, police cases filed against six Mizoram government officials will continue to be probed over their alleged involvement in the clash in Assam’s Cachar district, which took the lives of at least five Assam Police personnel.

On Saturday, the Congress had claimed that the Central government failed in handling the interstate border dispute.

Accusing the ruling party of “double-standards”, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi claimed that had such a situation arisen in non-BJP-ruled states, the saffron party would have demanded the deployment of Army and the imposition of the President’s Rule,

Over the past few weeks, a tense standoff situation has prevailed at the Assam-Mizoram border along the Cachar-Kolasib districts, amid contestations of land encroachment.