Centre should bear all our security related bill, says Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, making out a case for the entire northeast.

Addressing the Inter-State Council meeting held in Srinagar, Sarkar referred to the Sarkaria Commission recommendations  and said Union government should bear 100 per cent expenditure on modernisation of state security forces in the region instead of existing 50 per cent.

He said the scope of the scheme for reimbursement of security related expenditure should be expanded to cover all sectors and items of expenditure, whether recurring or non-recurring.

Sarkar urged the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to tell the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), with whom peace talks were on, to stop maintaining links with the Tripura militant groups.

Tripura Chief Minister said Centre should put adequate pressure on Bangladesh Government for closure of the camps of various northeast terrorist groups in that country and seal their bank accounts and extradite those wanted in connection with criminal cases pending in courts of India.

National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) have set up more than 50 camps across the border in Bangladesh. These groups were getting support from Pakistan’s ISI and other fundamentalist organisations, Sarkar pointed out..

He said the Tripura government has shared the details of locations of these camps with Centre and both the militant outfits had nexus with ULFA, NSCN and other militant groups of the region.

Without naming the Congress, Manik Sarkar alleged that in the last Assembly elections in the State the NLFT had worked for a National Party-led alliance and intimidated the voters while the other group ATTF gave a call for boycott of the elections. The militant groups stepped up their activities shortly after the elections out of desperation and are using artificial devices to attack the people and security forces, he added.

Tripura Chief Minister also made out a strong case for additional central forces for the state, saying that inadequate number of Army personnel was hampering the special operation launched recently against the militants.

"The Army has launched a special operation after the recent massacre but the unit is small and we require more troops to counter the rebel outfits," Sarkar told the Inter-State Council. "There is an immediate need for three more Army battalions," he said in the wake of spurt in terrorism in West Tripura.. On August 12, National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants gunned down three Assam Rifles jawans at Takarjala. A day earlier, seven security personnel were killed in Noagaon in a landmine blast triggered by ATTF ultras.

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