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Centre willing to amend Constitution to solve insurgency in the north-east, says PM

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today announced that the Centre was ready to hold talks with insurgents, if necessary by even amending the Constitution for lasting peace in the north-east.

The prime minister appealed to different insurgent groups of the region, including Assam, to shun violence and create a congenial atmosphere for talks. The government was ready to find a solution to the problems within the ambit of the Constitution and even by amending it if required, he said.

Addressing the media at Borjhar airport in Assam before his departure for New Delhi after a two-day visit to the state, Vajpayee hoped the All Bodo Students Union would not resort to an agitation, saying the government was ready to hold talks 'with the Bodo brothers' to find a solution to their demands.

He also said talks with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland would be held soon and the ongoing ceasefire extended further. The present government was committed to resolving the Naga problem and continue talks with all concerned groups to find an acceptable solution, he said.

Vajpayee said, "To all those who have strayed from the path of togetherness, whether in Assam or other states of the region, I extend an invitation -- come forward, let us discuss. My government is committed to holding talks to restore peace. Let us do so within the four corners of our Constitution."

Asked about the scrapping of the Illegal Migration (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983, the prime minister said it was inactive. He would take up the issue in his Cabinet as well as with the leaders of the Opposition parties to find a consensus on the issue. "I am aware of the deficiencies of the act. My government shall endeavour to build a consensus within Parliament, so that appropriate corrective action can be taken," he said.

Regarding the influx from across the border, the prime minister said for decades, Assam had been torn by a socially and economically destabilising factor of unchecked, illegal immigration. This problem afflicted other states in the region too. An agitation against this in Assam in the 1980s led to the Assam talks and the enactment of the IMDT Act of 1983, he said.

UNI

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