Resolving decades of disputes

 Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s advise to the chief ministers of the north eastern states to resolve their boundary issues through state-to-state dialogue and not to expect or depend on the Centre, while addressing the 69th Plenary of the North Eastern Council (NEC) at Shillong on January 23, needs to be understood in its perspective. Shah also told the chief ministers that their boundary disputes be resolved by August 15,2022 when prime minister Narendra Modi gives his speech on the 75th anniversary of India’s independence. That means the states having border disputes should resolve the issue within 19 months by August 15,2022. The boundary disputes among north eastern states stem primarily from the fact they were bifurcated from Assam. A case in point is Nagaland, the first state that was created after bifurcation from Assam. Similarly Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram also have border disputes with Assam. The boundary dispute between Assam and Nagaland has remained unresolved for the better part of five decades despite mediation by the government of India and the state-to-state efforts. After both efforts failed, Assam took the issue to the Supreme Court in 1988. Assam urged the apex court to recognise the boundary as per the 1925 notification under which several thousand square kilometres of land belonging to Naga tribes were transferred by the British to Assam for administrative convenience. Nagaland, therefore rejected the Sundaram commission report. Nagaland also rejected the Sashtri Commission set up in 1985 to inquire into the Merapani incident since the commission recognised the present boundary between the two states. The closest that both states came to coming near resolution was during the tenures of then Assam chief minister Hiteswar Saikia and then Nagaland chief minister S.C.Jamir in 1993 when the two Congress chief ministers agreed to explore avenues for settlement of the long-pending dispute outside the court. This was echoed by then Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi in 2012 when a delegation from Nagaland met the late Assam leader. All the states in the north east are presently either under BJP rule (Arunachal Pradesh) or alliances with the BJP such as Nagaland(NDPP), Mizoram(MNF), Meghalaya(NPP). These states maintain that their claims are legitimate as per history and tradition. It would be a big challenge for Assam, also under BJP rule, to accept the boundary claims of other states. Also whether other states, on their part, will agree to accept the present status of lands that are presently under Assam? The efforts for resolving the issues through state-to-state approach is a tall order. If that were possible, then the Assam-Nagaland boundary issue could have neared solution during 1993. There are many interests tied with the issue and it would take a herculean effort to address them. For instance, the issue over the disputed boundary between Assam and Nagaland, has been compounded by the presence of illegal immigrants including other non-Assamese communities during the past several decades. True the issue cannot be settled legally or forcibly and therefore, a need on both sides to realize that the ground reality presents in itself a give-and-take option. Since boundary disputes have spanned over several decades, it would not be easy for Assam-Nagaland, Assam-Arunachal Pradesh, Assam-Mizoram, Assam-Meghalaya to resolve disputes within 19 months. The people in north east states want peaceful end to the border conflicts as peace and progress matter more in the light of fast changing economic environment.