Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday assured an all-party delegation from Manipur that the boundaries of the state will not be affected in the wake of the ongoing peace talks between Centre and Naga rebels.
Delegation leader and Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh told reporters that he received this assurance when the team met Vajpayee to discuss the impact of the talks on the state.
Singh said Manipur also wanted a constitutional amendment that will protect the territorial integrity of the state.
"We welcome the peace talks but the parleys should not at be at the cost of the territorial integrity of Manipur. The state will not give a single inch of land as part of Centre's agreement with Nagas," he said.
The Constitution should be amended to the effect that the consent of the legislature of the concerned state be made mandatory "in the formation of a new state and alteration of areas, boundaries or the name of existing states," the chief minister said.
