Kolkata: Turning down the demand for
sovereignty, the Centre Tuesday appealed to the ULFA and the
UNLF to give up violence and hold talks, saying it was willing
to look at 'new governing structures' to take care of the
development agenda of the Northeast.
"A couple of groups like the ULFA and the UNLF are still
carrying out violent activities. To them we say, give up the
demand for sovereignty. Give up violence and we can talk of
anything," Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said at the
valedictory session of the CII leadership summit here.
Stating that the Constitution was resilient and
innovative, and accommodated the concerns of the people of
smaller states, he said, "If new innovations for governing
structures are required, we are willing to look at it.
"The Constitution has provided for hill development
councils, semi-autonomy, and some schedules to address the
concerns of the people of the smaller states. We can have more
schedules as long as it takes care of the development agenda."
He said the 'Presidency Model' of the British days was
not suitable for the Northeast which had a different history,
social structure and governance structure.
Chidambaram said about half-a-dozen insurgent groups
were already holding talks with interlocutors and the
government was hopeful of resolving their grievances.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 22:18