The agreement between the governments of Assam and Meghalaya to resolve their border dispute is a rare and welcome step, though it is a partial agreement. The Chief Ministers of the two states, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Conrad Sangma, signed an agreement to settle disputes relating to six of the 12 contested spots on the nearly 900-km border they share. The disputes have persisted over five decades. Territorial disputes exist among all the states in the North-East and they have often resulted in tension and violence. There were clashes on the Assam-Mizoram border last July in which six Assam policemen were killed. Considering the sensitive nature of territorial disputes, a partial and limited agreement is also an achievement. The details of the agreement have not been disclosed. But it is known that it is based on the choices made by the residents in the disputed areas who were told to opt for one state or the other. The boundary will now be demarcated on this basis.
The fact that both the states are ruled by the BJP-led NDA would have helped them to reach the agreement. Sarma is the top leader of the BJP in the North-East and Sangma’s NPP is part of the NDA. Both have described the agreement as historic. The Union Home Ministry also took the initiative to bring the two sides together. An agreement arrived at in such a way would also have greater acceptance than a decision made by a commission or a court. But it should also be noted that most states would not agree to follow such a method of resolution of their boundary disputes. It is also not known whether this method will be followed in resolving the disputes in the remaining part of the border. But it is a good beginning.
All states in the North-East were carved out of Assam. It has a border dispute with most of them. These disputes are a legacy of history and are also a reflection of divisions based on tribal and community affiliations which do not agree with the political boundaries. There was much arbitrariness in the delineation of boundaries during the colonial times and later when they were fixed between the states. Tribes and communities got divided, markets and economic activities were split, social groups were divided, and all this created a lot of inconvenience and anxiety. Since most of these states are small, territory is particularly important for them, and the disputes added to their sense of insecurity. Hopefully, the Assam-Meghalaya agreement will set the trend for solving other disputes. Sarma and Sangma now have the responsibility to get the agreement accepted by the people of their states.