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Ibobi meets Modi, Rajnath; seeks Naga accord copy

He said Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh airdashed to New Delhi yesterday to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to collect a copy of the said peace accord as the Manipur government could not get details of the same despite submission of requests to the Centre.

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Led by Gaikhangam, MLAs and senior party leaders today staged a sit-in at the Congress Bhawan, the party office here, demanding a white paper on the accord and also to protest suspension of Congress MPs from Lok Sabha. “Later, they took a U-turn on the issue”, Rijiju told the media here.

In case the Central Government is aware of the popular demand for enforcement of ILPS in Manipur, the same may be fulfilled soon, he said. “This peace accord will help improve the security scenario in the region further”, he said. All three states are opposed to the outfit’s demand.

Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh on Saturday called on Modi at his 7, Race Course Road residence in Delhi.

The accord, signed in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the chairman of the NSCN(IM) T Muivah, promises a return to normalcy in the northeastern state, which had remained on the edge since the Independence.

“I doubt whether the chief minister of Nagaland has been consulted”, he said while Mr Tuki was of the view that the accord has come as a “surprise” as the Prime Minister “forgot” to contact the Congress chief ministers concerned.

Rajnath Singh assured Ibobi Singh that the accord was just a framework and that it would not affect the territorial boundary of the neighbouring states.

Hitting out at Ms Sitharaman, Mr Surjewala said that neither the Prime Minister nor the government circulated orally or in writing any agenda regarding the Naga peace accord to the party chief ministers.

Ms. Sitharaman said the Congress Chief Ministers were forced to change their stand by Ms. Gandhi and asked if politics was more important than unity and integrity of the country.

She charged the Modi dispensation with being “arrogant” in not briefing Congress chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam despite their states being “directly affected” by the pact.

The three chief ministers have declared that they will not cede an inch of land for the accord.

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Gaikhangam welcomed the peace accord which would bring about lasting peace in Nagaland, but said it should not disturb the interests of other states in the northeast.

Naga accord Manipur CM meets PM