IMPHAL, March 4: The general secretary of the Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), Y Mangi Singh, has categorically stated that the former party president W Nipamacha Singh was expelled from the primary membership for a period of six years by a decision of the central executive committee, the highest body of the party, under the provision of the party constitution. The general secretary, in a statement issued here, also said Tombinou Singh was not the party spokesman appointed by the collective decision of the party but was personally appointed by Nipamacha. It said neither had been appointed...

NEW DELHI, March 2: While reiterating its Opposition to the demand of extending the NSCN(IM) ceasefire to Naga inhabited areas of neighbouring States of Nagaland, Assam Government has requested the Centre to utilise the ceasefire to engage the other insurgent outfits in negotiations. The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee as part of his consensus building measure today held a meeting with the Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. The Union Home Minister, LK Advani and top officials of his ministry also attended the meeting. The Prime Minister held similar meeting with the Chief Minister of...

NEW DELHI, March 2 (PTI): In a bid to placate the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) in accepting two other Naga factions NSCN (Khaplang) and the Naga Federal Group (NFG) in the peace process, the Government today indicated that the three-year-old ceasefire could be extended to Naga inhabited areas in the neighbouring areas. The response from Assam and Manipur Chief ministers PK Mahanta and Radhabinod Koijam were positive, home minister LK Advani told reporters after the two Chief Ministers held separate meetings with him and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But it has been...

NEW DELHI, March 2: The Prime Minister's Office and the ministry for home affairs are locked in a fight over whether or not to extend the ceasefire in the Northeastern states on the lines of the Kashmir truce. The home ministry has ruled out any such possibility, but officials admit that the PMO has a different stand on the issue. "If the PMO decides on extension of ceasefire in all the Northeastern states on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir, it will create a major problem for the Centre, especially the MHA, to control militancy and maintain internal security in the region," sources said. "The...

NEW DELHI, March 2: After Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee now wants to try out the ceasefire experiment in the entire Northeast. The truce proposal - in all probability a conditional offer - is likely to be announced in Parliament later this month. According to sources, it will be offered to all insurgent outfits, including both the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, ULFA, National Democratic Front of Boroland and those operating in Tripura. The Chief Ministers of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh today "informally" gave...