Meghalaya CM to hold 'unofficial' discussion with Assam counterpart today on border row

After the Arunachal Pradesh border row, now Assam Chief Minister will be discussing matters related to border issues with Meghayala CM as Conrad K Sangma informed about holding talks with Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday evening. According to CM Sangma, both the state leaders will be meeting to finalise a date for the official border talks. The statement from Meghalaya CM came after Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) discussed the same during the July 16 meeting. 

Apart from the border issues, discussion regarding Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to the state had also taken place in the MDA meeting. 

Terming the meeting with CM Sarma 'unofficial,' Meghalaya CM added that there is a need to involve every stakeholder in the matter including different social organisations, headmen and nokmas. 

Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Meghalaya

The Chief Minister also talked about Shah's visit to the state scheduled on July 24 and added that discussion regarding several development issues will take place as the Home Minister is also the chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC).

"We will also be discussing many developmental issues as the Union home minister is the chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC). He is also very keen to discuss the afforestation and conservation works, especially in the Sohra area," added Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma.

The meeting with Home Minister will also include discussion on state-specific issues- the Eighth Schedule and the Sixth Schedule amendment. All the Chief Ministers of Northeastern States have been invited during Shah's visit to discuss disputes that are common to the region, added CM Sangma. The Chief Minister also expressed his keen interest to discuss the border issue however he did not reveal the details on how the topic will be discussed with HM Amit Shah. 

"I don't want to show the cards right now but as I said a lot of homework has gone into how we plan to move forward on this. At this point in time, it will not be proper to discuss those details but as I said, we are focusing on the fact that whatever solution we come up with must be amicable and must be a solution that is going to be acceptable to the people of both the states," he mentioned. 

The Chief Minister's concluding remarks clearly stated that political discussions are required hence the matter has to be seen from all angles.

(With PTI inputs)