The historic Karbi Anglong Agreement was signed in Delhi on Saturday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and six factions from the Karbi region. After the signing of the agreement, Sarma spoke to CNN-News18 in an exclusive conversation. Here are the excerpts:
Q: What are the features of the agreement?
This is historic as Assam has seen violence from two regions, Bodo and the hilly areas where Karbi people live. In 2019, we signed the historic Bodo Accord and as far as the Kirby region is concerned, we saw movement in different parts from the year 1985 itself.
More than a thousand terrorists are back in the mainstream and more than 300 state-of-the-art weapons have been kept. I believe that children find complete peace in the entire hilly region of Assam.
Q: What will those coming into the mainstream get?
First, we will ensure 100 per cent rehabilitation of those who come back to the mainstream and I will also give a package of Rs 1,000 crore for development, Rs 500-500 crore from the state and central government.
They had been demanding reservation in the Autonomous Council for a long time and there was no provision to do so. Today, after the signing of the agreement, we have ensured that 34 out of 44 seats in the Autonomous Council will be reserved for tribals. I am sure all these will bring lasting peace to the region.
Q: How will you ensure that other extremist organizations join forces in the near future?
As everyone knows that ULFA has been an old issue since 1984, serious efforts have been made to bring Paresh Barua back in the mainstream. He has a demand and he wants sovereignty and on that basis, we cannot negotiate. We are also looking for a way to start talks.
Question: Your critics would like to understand that the long-promised Naga Pact has not yet seen the light, when will it?
Discussions are also going on regarding the Naga Accord. In 2019, we have seen the signing of two landmark agreements. Now we have seen the signing of another agreement and I am sure that in the coming days all the problems of North-East will be resolved amicably.
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