Source: The Sangai Express / Manipur Info Centre
New Delhi, November 09 2008:
"Certain authorities" in Bangladesh are backing Indian rebel groups sheltering in that country and there was urgent need to impress upon them that by doing so nothing would be gained, Union Minister for DoNER Mani Shankar Aiyar said in Shillong on Saturday.
DD News today reported Mani Shankar Aiyar saying "Certain authorities of Bangladesh are encouraging activities that are detrimental to India".
It was also necessary to impress upon Bangladesh to admit that there were anti-India groups on its soil which were not doing any good to them, he said, adding that the situation could be improved if relations between the two countries are moulded.
Aiyar, however, said the insurgency problem was "home grown".
"The insurgents grow here and when they are hemmed in they tend to cross the border," he said.
Describing the recent blasts at Agartala and Assam as episodic, the Union Minister said, "It would have been a cause of worry had there been a systematic deterioration of the situation" .
He asserted that the North East was still secure and claimed that the insurgency problem in the region has shown a tangible improvement over the years.
"The North East, barring Manipur, is a secure place for people to come and companies to invest" further said Aiyar.
Even in Manipur, the gross state product rate is as high as 11.4 per cent, the highest in the NE, and can be compared to that of China, he claimed.
"Of course, the disturbing elements have to be tackled and the Centre is taking measures towards that end," he said.