Though reports of Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's visit to India and the fate of the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan hogged news columns in the past week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's three-day tour of Manipur and Assam also found space in newspapers. Long overdue, it has taken the prime minister six months to reach out to this often neglected expanse of the country.

PICTURE SPEAK

LOOK WHO'S TALKING: ULFA has expressed willingness to talk peace

For a region that was on the boil for the past five months, the prime minister decided rather belatedly to take the initiative to restore normality and signal the Government's readiness to negotiate peace with militant groups. Over the years, the problems faced by the Northeast have multiplied. Wracked by militancy and violence for years and its problems ignored by successive governments, the Northeast may take long to show tangible results of Manmohan's tentative steps to "build and renew" links with the region.

That is why Manmohan embarked on his Northeast tour with "symbolic" actions which were meant to be pacifiers. On the eve of his arrival, he announced the setting up of a review committee headed by Justice Jeevan Reddy (former chairperson of the Law Commission) to examine the provisions of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and suggest changes that would make it a more humane law. In July this year, agitators had taken to the streets in Manipur protesting against the alleged gangrape and murder of social activist Thangjam Manorama Devi by jawans of the Assam Rifles. The agitators had demanded the arrest of the suspects and the repealing of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

Though the Apunba Lub, a conglomerate of 32 organisations which spearheaded the agitation, has demanded the scrapping of the army legislation in toto by December 10 (International Human Rights Day), Manmohan says it is not "wise to insist on deadlines". Says social activist Sanjoy Hazarika, who is also a member of the review committee: "I have said time and again that the Act needs to be changed and replaced. But this sensitive issue needs time to be discussed and we will come out with our recommendations well within the six-month deadline."

The announcement of the constitution of the review panel was followed by the prime minister handing over the keys of the historic Kangla Fort, which was occupied by the Assam Rifles, to the Manipur Government. "The fort was seen as the core of social unrest and resistance. By handing it over back to the state administration it serves as a reminder that we (the state of Manipur) ultimately prevailed over the Assam Rifles," says Reobinder Singh, a schoolteacher.

PICTURE SPEAK

PEACE KEY: Manmohan at the Kangla Fort handover function

The army had been occupying the 230 sq km premises since 1915. During the agitation against Manorama Devi's murder in July this year, women targeted this majestic fort to vent their anger against the Assam Rifles jawans.

Apart from these symbolic gestures, Manmohan has other things on his to-do list. For instance, no government has ever initiated talks with the major militant outfits in Manipur such as the UNLF, KYKL, People's Liberation Front, People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak and the Manipur People's Liberation Front. Corruption in government services, a crumbling education system, rampant unemployment, rise in drug trafficking through the state's border with Myanmar and a crippled economy have contributed to the steady decline of the state.

In Assam, the situation is only slightly better. The state's dependence on Central assistance, the scourge of floods, poor employment opportunities and the ULFA's growing clout have contributed to the dip in social indices. The Centre has failed to satisfy local concerns on the vexed issue of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983 and the demand for its repeal. The UPA Government contends that the Act is not designed to encourage infiltration but to safeguard the minority community against harassment in the process of detection and deportation of illegal migrants.

The real challenge before the UPA Government is to restore peace and signal its readiness to end insurgency in the Northeast.To underline his new agenda for Assam, Manmohan has emphasised that his Government was committed to implement the Assam Accord in "letter and spirit". However, he did not spell out a time frame.

PM'S PEACE SIGNALS

ACT REVIEW: Constitution of a panel to review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. KANGLA FORT: Handing over Kangla Fort to the Manipur Government. It had been occupied by the army. UNIVERSITIES: Upgrading Manipur University to a Central university NEW RAILWAY LINE: New railway line from Jiribam to Tupul, near Imphal.

The prime minister's appeal to the youth to shun violence was clearly aimed at the ULFA, which has recently made overtures for talks with the Centre. "Though the ULFA has demanded that sovereignty should form the core of the negotiations, we are happy that the outfit has at least expressed a readiness to talk," says a Home Ministry official.

At another level, aware that economic development must form an indispensable element in any peace plan, Manmohan has underlined the importance of the Government's "Look East" policy. While stressing that the country's economic interests were closely linked to the development of the Northeast, Manmohan pointed out that the region shared boundaries with Myanmar, Thailand and China.

The UPA Government's quest for a permanent political solution in the north-eastern states hit by militancy will hinge on the outcome of talks with the nscn (Isak-Muivah) faction which are now poised at a crucial juncture. The next round is scheduled for next month. "Other militant groups like the People's Liberation Front, People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak and the Manipur People's Liberation Front are closely watching the outcome. Let us see how it pans out," says a former ULFA leader. Says Ramesh Chennithala, CWC member who is in charge of the north-eastern states and was a part of the prime minister's entourage: "We are hopeful of a positive culmination of talks with the Naga leaders which will create the atmosphere for negotiations with other outfits."

The UPA Government has to cover a lot of ground to be able to address the grievances of the people in this region. As Manmohan himself says, "We have the option of remaining mired in the morass of past rancour, or move forward purposefully." The real question is how much of that grand vision the Government is willing to turn to reality. The test to integrate the Northeast with the rest of India is overwhelming. Will this region see that New Deal?

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