Sonia blasts Naga accord secrecy

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday criticised the Modi government for signing an accord with the Nagas without taking into confidence the chief ministers of states adjoining Nagaland.

On August 3, the government had signed an accord with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isaac-Muivah), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described it as a “historic” step.

The NSCN-IM has been fighting for a Naga homeland that would include Naga-inhabited parts of neighbouring states.

Sonia and her son Rahul, the party’s vice-president, who have been protesting against the suspension of 25 Congress members from Lok Sabha, charged that the voice of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh is being “suppressed”. Talking to reporters in Parliament complex, the Congress President said when she called her party's chief ministers in the three states, which are directly affected by the Naga accord, she found that they were “totally blank” on the issue.

”Nobody has even bothered to brief them, perhaps not in detail, but in a wide sense. After all, our chief ministers are directly affected, be it Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh or Assam. So, what do I take from this? From this I take that this government is arrogant,” Sonia says.

”This Government keeps on saying that everybody has to be taken along and that they will hold consultations with all, will take the views of all Chief Ministers. Then what happened?,” she asked.

Rahul noted that what Congress President said was perhaps the most important issue.

Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki on Thursday deleted his tweet welcoming the Naga peace accord, amid criticism by Sonia Gandhi that the central government did not consult the chief ministers of northeastern states.