The outreach plan of the central government to bring back North East to peace and prosperity is bringing heartening changes even as there is drastic decline in insurgency.
A recent report of MHA shows a drastic decline in insurgent incidents in North-East. In 2020, the government signed the Bodo accord to fulfill the long demand of the Bodo people. In 2021, the government signed the Karbi-Anglong accord with six militant groups. Prime Minister Modi spoke in a public meeting in Assam to Withdraw Armed Forces Special Power Act-1958, and it has been partially withdrawn. From Meghalaya and Tripura, it has been completely removed.
There was a perceptible change in the government’s policy with the formation of the NDA government in 2014. The Prime Minister himself made multiple visits to the region. Apart from flagging mega projects, Prime Minister lauded the contributions of North-East people in the making of India. The award of Bharat Ratna to Bhupen Hazarika should be taken in that line. It was also decided that one cabinet minister would visit the region every month. These efforts brought the people of the Northeast emotionally closer to India. They see their representation in the government. They take it as their government.
Moreover, the pro-active foreign policy of the government has prevented foreign powers from adding fuel to the insurgency. Also, to isolate and suppress militant outfits, the government undertook military operations across the Myanmar border. All these efforts have a more significant role in bringing peace.
In the past, North-East, which otherwise appears as the right hand of India, has been a seat of unrest and insurgency only after a few years of independence. Kuki National Organization (KNO), United People’s Front (UPF) of Manipur, National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLF), Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland, active in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, both United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), Mizo National Front in Mizoram were a few of many insurgent groups functional in North-East. No area was safe, and peace was a distant dream. Although efforts were made on several occasions to reach out to the militant groups, except for the agreement with Lal Denga of the Mizo-National Front, success was alluded to every time.
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