Shillong, March 28: The attention of the State Government has been drawn to a news item under the caption “GNLA gives 3-day ultimatum to the Government”. The Government wishes to clarify that at the political level. The Chief Minister had written a D.O. letter to the Union Home Minister on the 8th March. 2014 in which he had underlined the necessity for exploring other options for finding a more enduring solution to the problem of insurgency and had suggested to the Central Government to designate an Interlocutor to initiate a dialogue with GNLA.
The Chief Minister had also suggested the names of three persons of eminence who could be designated as facilitators to facilitate the interaction between GNLA and the Interlocutor. The Union Home Minister was also impressed upon the need for a quick response to the proposal of the State Government so that the problem of insurgency could be tackled at the earliest.
At the official level and as a follow-up on this initiative, the Chief Secretary also wrote a D.O. letter to the Union Home Secretary on 25.03.2014 to impress upon the Central Government the need for holding talks with GNLA and other militant groups in order to rid the State of the scourge of insurgency and ensure that developmental projects do not ‘get stalled. The importance of responding quickly to the proposal made by the State Government was also strongly emphasized.
With the above clarification. the Slate Government would like to place on record its genuine commitment for bringing in peace and harmony amongst all sections of the people so that the fruits of development are made available to the people of the State as a whole.
Given the nature of issues involved, participation and approval of the Government of India is essential. The ‘State Government now awaits the response of the Central Government said the statement from the Joint Secretary to the government of Meghalaya Political Department.(SP News)
