Months after fierce clashes had fuelled friction between the two Northeastern states, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday, 25 November, dined with Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga in Delhi.
"Happy to share that HCM Mizoram Sri @ZoramthangaCM accepted my dinner invite at Assam House, Delhi. We had a nice dinner and lively evening. It's always so heartening to have his gracious company (sic)," Sarma tweeted after their meeting.
"Thank you for your warm hospitable reception Shri @himantabiswa ji and Shri @ATULBORA2 ji. Cordial discussions on various developmental topic for the welfare of Northeast India was discussed. Looking forward to many more progressive meeting," the Mizoram chief minister tweeted.
"I was invited by Himanta ji for dinner since we're good friends, like brothers. We had a very good time. Tomorrow, we hope to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah together. We tried to increase the friendship that we've had all along, we had a very fine time," Zoramthanga was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The Recent Assam-Mizoram Dispute
Five policemen and one civilian had reportedly died in July, while several others were injured in the clashes that had broken out around the Assam-Mizoram border in Cachar district.
While the Assam government had blamed Mizoram for the harm, Mizoram Home Minister Pu Lalchamliana had condemned the "unjustified intrusion and aggression of the Assam government."
The violence in July had come as a corollary of a long-running border feud between the states, and has escalated to an extent wherein Assam had temporarily directed its citizens to abstain from visiting Mizoram, due to safety concerns.
A peace process had subsequently been initiated, after which administrations of the two BJP-led states had issued a joint statement in August, vowing to take all necessary measures to promote, preserve, and maintain peace and harmony.
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