State BJP plea to central govt on Shiroi

Describing the ongoing Shiroi standoff as a “direct confrontation” between the government of India and the NSCN (I-M), Nagaland BJP has appealed to the prime minister, Manmohan Singh and home minister P. Chidambaram to immediately order withdrawal of the 17 Assam Rifles who has taken siege of Shiroi village since January 19.
The state BJP also demanded immediate restoration of water and electrical supply, to grant access to the media people and to provide relief and compensation to the innocent people who have incurred much loss in uncountable ways.
BJP Nagaland general secretary (admn) T. L. Merry in a statement said that the “adamancy” of Assam Rifles also known as the Friends of the Hill People in not withdrawing from Shiori was an “exposure of the inner thoughts and policy of the Congress led UPA government”, as the former was not acting on its own wishes but only under the directions of the latter. “The present Shiroi standoff has exposed the half hearted attitude of the government of India in context to the Peace Talks between the government of India and the Nagas and it reminds us of the ugly dark era of Indian Army Rules marked by tortures and massacres of innocent Nagas”, the statement added.
The BJP party expressed shock that the UPA government till now has not made any mention of any progress made in the peace talks and that waging “military action” such as Shiroi was absolutely contrary to the claims of the Congress led UPA government in regard to peace talks adding that such standoff would negate the whole peace process.
The BJP also regretted the purported statement of the central government on the need for more stringent ground rules at this juncture instead of defusing the tension and providing security to the helpless villagers of Shiroi. It felt that modalities to frame any effective and stringent ground rules could be suitably taken up at an appropriate time without “provocations or such blatant violations of human rights”. It said the counter productive action of the central government was a matter of deep concern as the goal for permanent peaceful settlement might become more elusive.