New Delhi: Just a day before NSCN-IM General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah arrives in New Delhi on Wednesday for peace talks with the Centre, the Union Home Ministry has dropped a bombshell, saying the Naga outfit is carrying out an extensive extortion drive not only in Nagaland but also in some other parts of the region in spite of the ongoing ceasefire and the peace initiative.
"The Government has received reports of extortion by underground groups, including the NSCN (I-M)," the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, S Regupathy, told Lok Sabha on the ultimate day of the Winter Session.
He even went on to claim that NSCN (I-M) continues to "recruit new cadres" in its ranks. The minister, however, didn't give any specific data on the exact number of new recruits or the number of cadres in its rank and file.
Regupathy did give credence to reports that the Naga outfit has entended its extortion drive beyond Nagaland, without specifying any particular state.
He said such extortions are happening even on national highways and other major roads. "The Government has initiated a number of steps like improving security measures on highways and other major roads and also in key towns and business hubs in order to curb extortion," Regupathy said.
The government exployees are now being paid their salaries through cheques so that any unusual movement of funds could be traced.
In his reply, Regupathy however didn't make any mention of Muivah's scheduled arrival in Delhi on Wednesday. Neither did he give any details about the progress made in the peace talks between the Centre and the Naga outfit. This would only be the second time in 39 years that the NSCN-IM would be holding peace talks on Indian soil. In 2004, Muivah and Swu held talks with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi.
The peace talks held in Amsterdam on December 4 and 6 have been inconclusive so far and it has been agreed to resume discussions early next year, the Union minister said.
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