The historic Karbi Anglong Accord was signed in Delhi on Saturday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the six factions of the Karbi region. After the signing of the accord, Sarma spoke to CNN-News18 in an exclusive chat. Here are the excerpts:
Q: What are the features of the accord?
It is historic as Assam has witnessed violence from two areas, the Bodo and the Hill areas where Karbi people live. In 2019, we signed the historic Bodo Accord and as far as the Kirby region is concerned, we saw agitation in various parts right from the year 1985.
More than a thousand militants have come back to the mainstream and more than 300 sophisticated arms have been laid down. I am confident that children complete peace in the entire hill terrain of Assam.
Q: What will those that came to mainstream get?
Firstly, we will ensure a hundred per cent rehabilitation of those people who come back to the mainstream and I will also pump in a package of Rs 1,000 crore for development, Rs 500 core each from the State and the Central government.
They had demanded reservation in the autonomous Council for a long time and there was no provision to do that. Today, after the accord, was signed we have ensured that out of 44 seats in the autonomous Council, 34 seats will be reserved for the tribals. I am sure all these will bring long-lasting peace to the region.
Q: How will you ensure that the other militant outfits also come on board in the near future?
As everyone is aware that ULFA has been an old issue since 1984, there has been a serious effort to bring back Paresh Barua to the mainstream. He has a demand and he wants sovereignty and, in that premise, we cannot have a dialogue. We are also looking out for a path to start a dialogue.
Q: Your critics will want to understand that the long-promised Naga Accord has not still seen the light of the day, when will that happen?
The discussion is also going on with the Naga Accord. In 2019, we have seen two historic accords been signed. Now we’ve seen another accord being signed and I am sure that in the coming days all the problems of the north-east will be solved amicably.
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