Union Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has denied Congress' charge, saying that the Home Ministry was working in close consultations with various states involved.
Chief Ministers of Congress ruled states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh were forced to retract their statements on the Naga peace accord by their leadership, claimed the BJP today, saying it "augurs badly" for the country when it is done on the issue of national security.
Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "Congress party should introspect rather than criticize the government even on a measure like this which has waited for a very long time and several governments have been engaged for it. It is not good for the country, particularly for the North East. I think the approach of Congress party should be for more in the national interest."
Earlier, the Congress had accused the BJP of not taking the Congress chief ministers of the north-eastern states into confidence before signing the accord with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM), an armed rebel group active in the north-eastern region.
The BJP leader denied the charge saying that the home ministry was working in close consultations with various states involved. The 55-year-old attacked Congress President Sonia Gandhi for not letting her party leaders speak freely.
"To muffle their voice and make them speak much against their own opinion does not speak about any freedom of speech, freedom of expression and democracy within Congress party and on a matter of national security," Ms Sitharaman said.
The BJP claimed that during the signing of the 1975 Shillong Accord, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not brief or consult the chief ministers of north-eastern states, charging the Congress with adopting different yardsticks.
Earlier on Monday, the government signed an accord with the NSCN (IM), after nearly two decades of peace talks to end the country's oldest insurgency.