No agreement to carve out larger Nagaland, says government

The Union Government on Saturday sought to clarify that there was no agreement or decision on carving out a larger Nagaland state and termed media reports on the issue "erroneous".

"Some media reports have appeared recently to the effect that the Government of India has agreed to carve out a larger Nagaland State by taking away the territories of the states contiguous to Nagaland. Such reports are erroneous. It is clarified that there is no such agreement or decision of the Government of India," said a Union Home Ministry statement.

Assam had witnessed protests after reports in the media that National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah General Secretary T. Muivah had said the August 2015 'framework agreement' recognises his outfit's demand for territorial integration of Naga-inhabited areas in the region.

The Naga group is keen on a 'Greater Nagalim' which includes tracts of land in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and parts of Myanmar where there are Naga inhabitants.

Assam Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had also said earlier that there is no proposal with the central government about larger Nagaland.

"We are committed to protecting Assam's territory," he had said.

--IANS

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