THE eighth round of talks between the Mizoram Government and the Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) has remained inconclusive, but both the sides expressed optimism over the final outcome of the dialogue.

Mizoram Chief Secretary and leader of the Government delegation H. V. Lalringa said that both the sides agreed that a settlement  should be reached to solve the     Bru problems. “It was agreed in   the talks that modalities and  detailed provisions of the accord would be drafted by both the sides when the parleys resume in the later part of August, 2003,” Mr. Lalringa said. The Mizoram Chief Secretary informed that both the sides agreed to cessation of violence or operations, which could hamper the chance of reaching a settlement.

The six-member BNLF delegation was led by its president Surjomoni Reang comprised top brass of the organisation including its general secretary Solomon Prophul Hshoy, Army chief Hmunsiama and communication secretary Bruto Meska, who on earlier occasions led the delegation.

Four-member delegation of the Bru welfare association of Mizoram, led by its president Biakmawia, also participated in the talks. The Mizoram Government was included the Director General of Police M Tumsanga and Home department officials. The BNLF, which launched armed insurrection against the Mizoram Government since late 1997 was demanding a separate autonomous district council for    the Brus carving out from the   north-eastern parts of the State.

The outfit, which was indulging in illegal and violent activities like killing policemen and civilians, abductions and extortion recently changed its demand from autonomous district council to regional council, and then to a Bru Area Development Council during the course of negotiations. The talks, which began in September 2001, gained significance as the State Government insisted that repatriation of Brus, who had fled Mizoram to neighbouring Tripura in the last part of 1997, would not be implemented unless and until the BNLF eschews violence and comes over ground.

OPPOSITION TO BRUS IN VOTERS LIST

Save Mizoram Committee, a conglomerate of major NGOs and political parties in the state has strongly protested the inclusion of Brus, who are now in Tripura, in the voters list of Mizoram. Following instructions from the Election Commission, election officials from Mizoram west to Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura district to enumerate Bru voters who were lodged in six refugee camps there. A statement issued by Save Mizoram Committee said that the Mizo people did not want inclusion of Bru voters in the electoral rolls if they did not return to Mizoram. “If the Election Commission wants to give voting rights to the Brus who fled Mizoram on their own will, they should be enlisted in the voters list of Tripura”, the statement said. The SMC also said that polling booths should not be made outside the State of Mizoram during elections to facilitate voters to cast their votes outside the state boundary in the coming state Assembly polls. While the Tripura Government claimed that more than 32,000 Bru refugees who fled Mizoram in late 1997 were lodged in refugee camps in North Tripura district, Mizoram Government said that there were not more than 16,000 bona fide residents of the State in the camps. Gogoi Govt. has failed in all fronts: Mahanta North East News Agency

WHILE ending his  self-imposed silence, AGP leader and former chief minister of Assam, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta wasted no time to lambast the Tarun Gogoi led Congress Government in the State. As part of his recently begun political campaign, Mr. Mahanta severely criticized the State Government for “failing in all spheres” in the two years of its term.

In support of his claimMr. Mahanta has many charges to make against the Gogoi Government. In fact, he has plenty of that. Mr Mahanta cited the examples of the administering of Vitamin-A, for which many children had to lose their lives, and the supply of free textbooks to the students of the Government schools in which the State Government had “utterly failed”. Does it mean that the State Government is doing well in the law & order front? No, thundered the student leader turned politician. According to Mr. Mahanta though the Congress Government had been claiming to have brought peace to the State, the “ongoing” Hmar-Dimasa conflict in Karbi Anglong district “is enough to prove the hollowness of the claim”. The former chief minister wondered as how the State Government could expect and claim to bring peace to the State when it had failed to provide security to even a minister’s son. He was mentioning about the killing of the son of the Minister for HAD, Mines and Minerals, Mr Govinda Chandra Langthasa. Mr. Mahanta predicted a bleak future for the State Government. He said that it would totally depend on how far the Government would be able to establish peace and harmony among the people of the State. According to Mr. Mahanta the ULFA and NDFB problems are the two major political problems of the State. But he is hopeful that sooner than later solution to these problems will be found. He believes that amicable solution of these vexed problem will bring better days for the people of Assam. The AGP leader expressed his ignorance about any rift within the AGP. He insisted that there was no clash between him and the present AGP president Brindabon Goswami or for that matter with any other party leader. Going further on this issue, He opined that there was always scopes of debate and discussion in a democratic organisation, which could not be termed as rift.

“Though it will be too early to say how many seats the AGP will win in the next General elections, it is certain that the performance will be better than the last time”, Mr Mahanta said. Expressing the reason behind his newly found confidence, Mr Mahanta said that the voters of Assam had grown more conscious and they vote after making calculations like who would form the Government at the Centre and what type of Government would    be formed, etc. However, he strongly felt that coalition era had finally arrived in the country and   no party would be able to get absolute majority.

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