Zoramthanga Purno Sangma

Guwahati, Sept. 10: Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga will head a committee to look into and suggest solutions to the problem of insurgency in the Northeast.

The panel will be one of the six committees to be formed by the joint forum of the non-Congress and non-Left parties in the region which will be formally launched at a conclave in Hotel Brahmaputra here on September 19. The forum has earmarked six core issues confronting the region as its six-point agenda.

NCP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma told newsmen here today that the front — tentatively named the North East People’s Forum (NEPF) — had identified insurgency, infiltration, unemployment, economic development, development of information technology and good governance as the six most important issues to be addressed immediately.

He said the forum would form committees to study each of the problems and provide inputs to the Centre for their redressal.

Sangma said the problems were common to all the states and could only be resolved through their coordinated efforts.

The forum had chalked out its agenda at a meeting held between Sangma, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga, Assam BJP president Rajen Gohain and other senior political leaders of the region here yesterday.

“The forum will act as a pressure group as well as a facilitator in finding a solution to the six problems,” he added.

Apart from several regional political parties, four national parties — the BJP, the NCP, the Samata Party and the Janata Dal (United) — have agreed to be part of the forum, Sangma said. The Trinamul Congress will be an invitee. Sangma hoped that all the other regional parties, including the AGP, would join the forum.

Sangma said the forum would be apolitical. He said the Congress and Left parties had been kept outside the forum because of differences on issues.