'Cong to oppose agreement if it changes geography of Manipur': Jairam

Slamming the Centre over alleged lack of transparency in the ongoing Naga peace talks, former union minister Jairam Ramesh has said that the Congress will oppose any agreement if it changes the geography of Manipur and any other northeastern state. A six-member Congress delegation arrived on Sunday to take stock of the situation in Manipur arising out of the Naga peace talks and gather the opinions of people and party leaders on the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"There is no transparency regarding Naga peace talks on the part of the central government. The progress in the ongoing Naga peace talks has not been disclosed," Ramesh told reporters at the Congress Bhawan here.

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Any accord which would change the geography of any state of the northeast region, including Manipur, will be opposed by the Congress, he said. During the tenure of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Centre had signed Assam, Mizoram and Tripura accords "without changing the geography of any state", the senior Congress leader said.

The former union minister was accompanied by AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, former union minister of state Jitendra Singh, MP Manickam Tagore, AICC secretary Ranjit Mukherjee and Mohammed Ali Khan. Last week, the Union Home Ministry had said that lot of rumours and misinformation was being spread that the final Naga settlement had been arrived at and would be announced soon.

"This is creating anxiety and concern in some parts of the country. It is clarified that before any settlement is arrived at with Naga groups, all stakeholders including states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh will be duly consulted and their concerns will be taken into consideration. No credence needs to be given to such rumours and incorrect information," the MHA statement had said.

Former Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh said that the Centre, according to media reports, has rejected the NSCN-IM demand for separate flag and Constitution during the Naga peace talks. "People in Manipur are confused whether the demand for greater Nagaland has been accepted or not. If it is accepted by the present government, the party will oppose it tooth and nail," the Congress Legislature Party leader in Manipur said.

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