The Shillong MP said clash at Assam-Mizoram border highlighted vulnerability of peace in the region. File
Amid heightened tension over boundary disputes in the Northeast, Congress MP from Meghalaya Vincent H Pala today wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that interstate border clashes have "not only been on the rise of late, but have also taken a much more aggressive turn" under the BJP government in Assam.
"For reasons best known to the present BJP-led government of Assam, such conflicts have not only been on the rise, but have also taken a much more aggressive turn," he wrote.
Provocations and "aggressive posturing" at the interstate borders is perilous to healthy neighbourly relations, the three-time MP from Shillong wrote.
Seeking the Prime Minister's intervention for establishing cordial relations between the neighbouring states, the former Union minister said, "I sincerely urge you to address this issue at the earliest. The progress of the region has long been fought for... and it would be a matter of great regret to let that wither away."
He pointed out that the recent clashes at the Assam-Mizoram border, which claimed six lives, have once again highlighted the vulnerability of peace and stability of the region.
Mr Pala noted that barring Tripura and Manipur, all other states in the Northeast have boundary disputes with Assam.
It has also given rise to wrangles over land, forest resources as well as ethnic clashes over the years, he added.