Source: Oken Jeet Sandham / NEPS
Kohima, March 30:
Nagaland Minister for Planning and Urban Development Dr Shurhozelie said the Government had never shied away its responsibilities from controlling law and order situation in the state.
"We have done our best to control law and order whenever it occurred in any part of the state," he told the NEPS here at his official residence here on Friday.
The minister said, "We have never said killing is not law and order but only said the factional killings taking place occasionally in the state have come under political subject." "But when it came, we had never shied away our responsibilities from containing it, " he said.
"We always controlled it".
"I have told Oscar Fernandez, Union Minister, who is the head of the ministerial team for the political negotiation with the NSCN-IM, when he visited the state, that we have done well to contain the law and order situation except factional clashes that have occasionally taken place in the state," the minister disclosed.
"But I explained to him that our underground groups have entered into ceasefire agreements with you and not with the state government and this they said, they were doing for political reason".
Dr Shurhozelie also mentioned that he told Fernandez that the Center had also part to play to control them (NSCNs) as when they killed one another, it created "law and order problem in the state." "So factional killing comes under political subject," he explained.
"However, when the law and order comes up, we as state do not shy away our responsibilities from containing it." "We are doing our job well," he pointed out.
"I had also told Fernandez our government's stand very clear that we always support any peace process and in the event of any political settlement acceptable to all sections of the people, we will not stand on the way and give way for an alternative arrangement," Dr Shurhozelie said.
So what more could they do more than this in the political field, he stated and saying, "We are not failing in the political field".
Not agreeing to the opposition demand that the outcome of the ongoing peace process between the NSCN-IM and the Government of India be made known to the people, Dr Shurhozelie pointed out as a state government they could not force the union home ministry to "divulge" what was going on between the parties concerned.
The Minister also said they as state government was only playing a "mediator" and not part of the conflicting parties.
"And when the conflicting parties refused to listen to us, what else can we do as a mediator," he pointed out.