ASOM-NAGALAND BORDER TENSION

By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 16: Asom Power and Industries Minister Pradyut Bordoloi today said the State Government has taken the recent Asom-Nagaland border tension seriously. He said the development is being reviewed constantly.

Talking to newsmen in Guwahati today, Bordoloi said: “The Chief Minister has entrusted myself and Pranab Gogoi to review the situation along the Nagaland border, and we are reviewing the situation. We exercise restraint, but that doesn’t mean Asom is weak. We don’t want any confrontation with any neighbouring States, be it Nagaland or Arunachal Pradesh. Our stand is firm and clear: we won’t allow even an inch of our land to be encroached by any of the neighbouring States.”

Bordoloi said such tensions are common from time to time mainly due to provocation by the local bodies and people. He appealed to the people of both sides not to provoke tension for that affects both the parties. “The Nagaland Government is not involved in such border skirmishes, but whenever we find involvement of the Nagaland Government in encroachment of Asom land, we register our protest with the government of the neighbouring State and the Centre,” he said, and added: “The problem is that Nagaland doesn’t respect recommendations of any commissions. Two commissions were formed to solve the border disputes earlier, but the Nagaland Government rejected the recommendations of both the commissions. We have clearly given all evidences supporting our claim over the disputed lands to the local commission formed by the Supreme Court. We are waiting for the Supreme Court’s verdict.”

Defending Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s US tour, Bord-oloi said: “This is purely a personal tour of the Chief Minister. Be it the Chief Minister or any other minister, they should have some refreshment by meeting their near and dear ones. They have this right, and the laws of the land also permit them to avail this right. Moreover, though the Chief Minister is in the US, he is taking stock of the daily situation of the State from the Chief Secretary. It was in accordance with the directive of the Chief Minister that minister Himanta Biswa Sarma went to Sikkim to sort out the problems of Asom students there, minister Gautam Bora went to Shillong to sort out such a problem in North Eastern Hills University (NEHU) and myself and Pranab Bora visited Nagaland border. This is our collective responsibility, and we are shouldering it.”

On AGP, Bordoloi said if the regional party criticizes the Chief Minister on his personal tour, it is ridiculous.
In view of what Bordoloi said about the Chief Minister’s style of functioning, it seems that the technology-savvy Chief Minister is making the ‘best’ use of technology to govern the State from faraway US. THE SENTINEL