Aizawl, March 11 Lalrinsanga Ralte, a legislator from the Mizo National Front (MNF), the main opposition party in Mizoram, urged the state government on Wednesday to strengthen security along the state's border with Assam, warning of potential provocations ahead of the neighbouring state's upcoming assembly elections, likely to be held in April.
Speaking during the budget discussion for the Home department, Ralte claimed that the Assam government uses border issues for political gain during elections.
He stressed that Mizoram must remain vigilant and proactive to prevent territorial encroachment.
Ralte, who is a member of the Serlui assembly constituency in Kolasib district, which shares a border with Assam, said that following the violent clashes between the two states in 2021, several locations were designated under a status quo arrangement.
"While Mizoram has been diligent in honouring these agreements, the Assam side has shown little regard for them," he alleged.
Three Mizoram districts — Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit — share a 164.6 km long border with Assam's Cachar, Sribhumi, and Hailakandi districts.
The border dispute between the two northeastern states, which mainly stemmed from two conflicting colonial-era demarcations, one from 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation and another from 1933, is a long-standing issue that remains unresolved.
The two northeastern neighbours have been engaged in several key dialogues in a bid to resolve the vexed border dispute over the past few years.
Noting a disparity in infrastructure development, Ralte said while both states established various access roads and duty posts during the height of the dispute, the Assam government has successfully converted its temporary Border Outposts (BOPs) into permanent, robust facilities.
Conversely, he criticised the Mizoram government's "slow pace" of development, warning that the administration would bear the blame should security difficulties arise.