JORHAT, Sept 21 - AICC secretary Rana Goswami today demanded that the State Government should prevail upon the Centre to make public the peace accord signed by the Centre with NSCN-IM in New Delhi on August 3, 2015 as the matter was "very sensitive� for Assam.
Goswami, also a former MLA of Jorhat, while addressing mediapersons here, said there were apprehensions in the minds of the people about the content of the pact, known as the �framework agreement� regarding changes in the map of Nagaland, provided Assam is compelled to part with certain adjoining border areas.
Goswami said that it was very unusual on the part of the Narendra Modi-led Central Government to keep the peace agreement under wraps, if indeed the pact was aimed at ushering in an era of everlasting peace in the region.
He said the Centre by keeping the contents of the pact secret was leading to suspicion in the minds of the Assamese people regarding Assam�s land being incorporated with Nagaland.
�The Assam-Nagaland border row is a sensitive matter and has over the years led to frequent clashes along the inter-State border. Many a time, the situation has escalated into a major issues between the two neighbouring States,� Goswami said.
Stating that there were reports circulated in several quarters, including a section of the media, the AICC secretary said the State Government�s keeping mum over the issue was surprising as the BJP had come to power by riding the crest of an emotional wave centred around jati, mati aru bheti (community, land and existence).
�We have strong apprehensions that as per the pact, the Centre has agreed to give away large areas of Assam, which not only includes villages, but bio-diversity hot spots, as there are large forested areas with rich flora and fauna along the inter-State border along with revenue-earning sources like coal reserves,� Goswami said.
Warning of a bloodbath if the Centre has included Assam�s territories, Goswami asked the Sarbananda Sonowal-led Government to impress upon the Centre to disclose the contents of the agreement. He said that if Assam�s land has not been given to Nagaland, then for what reason was the Centre refraining from making the agreement public.
Replying to a question on the interim report of the Committee for Protection of Land Rights of Indigenous People of Assam., headed by former Chief Election Commissioner of India Hari Shankar Brahma, Goswami said the report needs to be studied and discussed.
He said he could comment only after reading the report and discussing its contents, but made it clear that his party�s stand was against settling illegal foreigners in Assam.
He slammed the Sarbananda Sonowal-led Government for failing to deliver on all fronts. Goswami said the Government was suffering from paralysis as there was no progress or development, with all welfare works coming to a standstill.
He said there was much discontent among the people as the Government failed to fulfil its pre-poll promises, which has led to frequent unrest, and with several organisations staging protests every other day for adoption of �anti-people policies� by the State Government.
Goswami targeted Sonowal for becoming a puppet in the hands of BJP�s Central leadership and Nagpur-based RSS leadership, only to save his chair, which has ultimately resulted in the Government�s non-performance.
He also blasted the Central and State governments for rapid rise in fuel prices, as well of essential commodities, besides the deplorable condition of the surface communication network.
