Morung Express News
Chümoukedima | January 24
The Government of India would surely consult the leaders of the North-East region, Nagaland in particular, if a move is made for scrapping or enforcing a stricter border crossing regime, Nagaland Minister for Tourism and Higher Education, Temjen Imna Along stated on Tuesday.
He further held that it would not be right on his part to assume that the FMR would be scrapped, when queried on the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Indo-Myanmar border on the sideline of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Nagaland’s 5th Convocation, which he addressed.
Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, recently told a public function in Guwahati, Assam, that the Indo-Myanmar border will be fenced.
Shah’s comment implied scrapping the FMR, which allows people living along the international border, on both sides, visa-free movement upto 16 km inside the other country.
According to Minister Along, he is well aware of the ramifications if the FMR is scrapped suddenly, but maintained that illegal firearms and drugs should also not be allowed to come “into our nation through the North-East corridor.”
On Lok Sabha MP Tokheho Yepthomi recent controversial remark on Article 371 (A), Along said, “He (Yepthomi) has already given a statement, it is for brilliant minds to converse and talk about it.”
Asked if Yepthomi was canvassing for the BJP ticket to the Lok Sabha, the former Nagaland BJP chief replied that he is not the one, who hands out the ticket.
