Imphal, Feb. 23: If there is a place where the term Saturday night fever ever applies, it is Rupmahal Theatre in the heart of Imphal. With the ban on Hindi films by militants fully in force, the theatre has introduced a regular Saturday performance which is drawing packed houses every weekend.

The Rupmahal group, which also runs the theatre, came into existence from the debris of World War II bombing in the state capital. It has the distinction of being the only theatre group in the state that has been staging plays regularly since its inception.

Rupmahal?s first production Ningamdama was...

Shillong, Feb. 23: The BJP?s gameplan in Meghalaya is simple. The party wants to appease all regional parties of the state and set up ?a consensus candidate? to take on the Congress.

BJP central leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Shourie have made it clear that they would support former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma in the Garo hills while hinting that the party would prefer a common candidate for the other seat.

The hunt for a consensus candidate has already begun and the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to keep the regional forces like the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the...

Feb. 22: Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio is pinning his hopes on the state government?s peace panel to bring together warring Naga militant groups. However, similar efforts by influential tribal bodies appear to have hit a dead-end.

Rio told mediapersons at Guwahati that the committee, which was set up last year after the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) assumed power, would continue its initiative, iterating that the process of ensuring peace among all the factions was on track.

Rio?s remark came after a parallel bid by two apex tribal organisations to unite the groups started...

Agartala, Feb. 22: A week after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) roped in the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) as coalition partner in the Northeast, New Delhi is toying with the idea of persuading one faction of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) to lay down arms.

The Centre was optimistic that INPT president and former insurgent leader Bijay Kumar Hrangkhawal would be able to convince the NLFT (Biswamohan group) to start a dialogue and surrender en masse.

The INPT team that signed the coalition deal has assured the BJP leadership that the tribal party would...

Kohima, Feb. 22: The Nagaland Students? Federation (NSF) has alleged that Assam had been pushing in Bangladeshi and Adivasi migrants to grab ?land belonging to Nagas?.

Throwing their weight behind Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, the students? federation reacted angrily to his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi?s comments on the border dispute between the two states. The NSF also questioned Assam?s claim to royalty on oil deposits within Merapani.

?There should be no border dispute at all as the whole Marachui (Merapani) area belongs to the Nagas,? NSF president Achumbemo Kikon said. He said...