New Delhi, May 08: Blaming the Centre for being "unresponsive" to persistent demands for further tightening of security in the northeast, several MPs from the region today sought immediate steps to check terrorist outfits operating out of Bhutan and Bangladesh. A delegation of MPs, belonging to the North East Mps' Forum, met Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and expressed apprehension over the rise in terrorist activities in the region, including yesterday's attack in Tripura in which 31 persons were killed.
After the 30-minute meeting, forum general secretary Arun Sarma said Advani responded "positively" to the apprehensions and said these were valid concerns which required a re-look from a fresh perspective. The MPs pointed out that Bangladesh was playing an "indifferent role" which encouraged terrorist outfits to expand their base in that country.
In a memorandum, they said the Centre had "failed" to put an end to the "tacit support extended by Bhutan and Bangladesh" to the terrorist groups and had "underestimated the graveness of the situation". They blamed the Centre for not only "withdrawing" security forces from the northeast and deploying them on the western borders, but also having failed in persuading Dhaka and Thimpu to get the terrorist bases dismantled.
On the peace talks with the Naga outfit NSCN (I-M), the MPs said, "Sooner or later it was bound to prove counter-productive since no ground rules were being followed and real issues addressed." Bureau Report