Special provisions under Art 371 to remain intact, Assam BJP president

GUWAHATI: After Union home minister Amit Shah's assurance, BJP on Friday reiterated that NE states need not worry as special provisions under Article 371 will remain intact.
BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass on Friday said some political parties and non-political groups with vested interests are spreading misinformation on Article 371 after the removal of J&K's special status under Article 370.However, he did not name any group. "The Union home minister has made it very clear that Article 371 will remain intact. Our Union home minister has also explained that Article 370 cannot be equated with Article 371. It is unfortunate that misinformation is being spread on Article 371. We want to reiterate that NE states will continue to enjoy the various special provisions under Article 371," Dass said.
Several organisations in the region, including Congress, have expressed fear whether the special provisions under Article 371 will meet a similar fate as in J&K.
Allaying fears raised by the opposition in the Lok Sabha that the Centre might tinker with Article 371, Shah on Tuesday said there was no ground to compare Article 370 with Article 371. He added that one should not confuse people by comparing Article 370 with Article 371.
Except Meghalaya and Tripura, all NE states have special status under the provisions of Article 371 with varying degrees of autonomy. While Article 371A applies to Nagaland, Article 371B is for Assam, Article 371C for Manipur, Article 371G for Mizoram and Article 371H for Arunachal Pradesh. Article 371F applies to Sikkim. Besides, several other states outside the northeast have various provisions of Article 371.
Nagaland governor RN Ravi had said, "Article 371(A) is a solemn commitment to the People of Nagaland. It is a sacred commitment. We are earnestly working to happily conclude the ongoing political process which is at an advanced stage". Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio welcomed the governor's statement saying that the state government hoped political negotiations will reach its logical conclusion through "an honorable and acceptable solution."