Shillong, Aug 29: BJP minister Sanbor Shullai met union home ministry official Piyush Goyal at his North Block office, New Delhi and raised the need to initiate talks with HNLC.
The move assumes significance following the killing of former general secretary of HNLC Cherishstarfield Thangkhiew, who had initiated peace talks.
The killing led to the militant outfit to reject any peace talks in future.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the office of Shullai said that during the discussion held with the official on August 27, the minister handed over a letter addressed to union home minister Amit Shah updating him of the current situation.
The letter briefs about the ‘strategic’ appeal made to the HNLC banned by the Centre to give up arms and come to mainstream to initiate the peace process.
In this regard, the group in the past too had expressed its desire for a dialogue with the Centre, he said, adding that the same has been initiated by the MDA government under the leadership of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
“However, due to some pre conditions laid down by the HNLC, the talks have not materialised. In this regard, we would like to highlight the central government’s role in bringing several banned organisation for peace dialogue. Thus the BJP Meghalaya and the MDA requests the central government to expedite peace process with HNLC and help to restore complete peace and tranquility in Shillong”, he said.
According to Shullai, the NDA government at centre had repeatedly assured the people of Northeast a better future and hence the ministry of home affairs can play a decisive role in engaging the HNLC for dialogue within the constitutional parameters so that they can join the mainstream and be part of ‘the global and national development process’.
