Source: The Sangai Express
New Delhi, June 22:
Top leaders of political parties of Manipur will meet Union Home Minister LK Advani here on Saturday in a bid to raise their concerns over the extension of area coverage of cease-fire with NSCN(IM) and preservation of territorial integrity of the North Eastern States.
Advani, who convened the meeting at the request of the state political parties on Thursday, is expected to allay the apprehensions of these leaders regarding territorial integrity and the likely spread of activities of the insurgent outfit in States other than Nagaland.
Ten leaders of State political parties, Union Minister Chaoba Singh and Two MPs from Manipur have been invited for the meeting, a Home Ministry spokesman said, adding the parties being represented included Congress, BJP, Samata Party, Manipur People�s Party, Manipur State Congress Party and NCP.
Asked about the agenda, he said since the meeting was fixed following a request from the State political parties, it was for them to decide.
�Centre has not fixed any agenda.
Whatever the parties want to raise will determine the agenda.� However, Ministry sources said the parties would raise the issues of extension of area coverage of the cease-fire, �legitimization� of NSCN(IM) camps and activities in States other than Nagaland and inviting other outfits for talks.
Meanwhile, BJP�s NE in-charge P Acharya, who met Advani here, suggested the ceasefire agreement between Government and NSCN(IM) be expanded to include a clause that territorial integrity of any North Eastern State would be not be affected.
BJP on Friday suggested two modifications in the Nagaland peace agreement to allay the apprehensions of the people of Manipur and other North Eastern States as they felt that there was a �hidden agenda� in the agreement that threatened their integrity.
The party suggested that �the agreement should include the clause that its extension would not affect the territorial integrity of any of the other States in the N-E region and that the ground rules monitoring committee should include people from various other social and political organisation,� party national secretary Padmanabhaiah Acharya told reporters after a 45-minute meeting with Home Ministry LK Advani.
He said incorporating the two suggestions were vital as part of a supplementary agreement of the main one, concluded between the government and the NSCN in Bangkok after the two day talks on June 13 and 14.Acharya said though Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, Advani as also NSCN representative Issac Muivah had agreed to these but it was essential to put it down in words so that the people of the region �have no apprehension of the agreement arrived at regarding the cease-fire.� He said by including the clause it would be made clear �the territorial integrity of any of the States would not be eroded.� Acharya said Advani assured him that the suggestions made by him would be incorporated and that he would also direct the chairman of the ground rules monitoring committee, PD Shenoy to take the necessary steps.