Guwahati, March 9: The defection of two Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM) legislators to the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) even before taking oath as members of the new Assembly has sparked a constitutional crisis in the state.

The duo, Kihoto Hollohon and Kipili Sangtam, broke away from the party to make the Neiphiu Rio-led NPF the single largest party in the Assembly with 21 seats.

Of the questions being raised by the defections, the most important one is whether two MLAs from a party can merge with another before they are sworn in as members of the Assembly and the Speaker recognises...

GUWAHATI, March 9— The recent spurt in violent activities by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is an attempt by the outfit to prove its existence, highly placed security sources said. Sources revealed that according to information available with the security forces, at least 200 youths from different parts of the State last year joined the ULFA and most of the youths had passed at least school leaving certificate examinations. The local level leaders conducted some kind of interview of the youths before they were recruited, which proved that the outfit has become selective in...

DIBRUGARH, March 9 — As the last litres of petrol inside tank number 559 burned out this morning at the New Tank Farm of the Digboi Refinery complex, the alert has been relaxed, and evacuated families too have returned to their homes from the two makeshift camps in the township.

Locals in Digboi said they could still see some smoke coming out of the damaged 5000 kilolitre motor spirit tank this evening. However, refinery officials assured that the smoke is from the water and chemicals sprayed on hot metal. Suspected ULFA militants on Friday night fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the tank...

GUWAHATI, March 9— In the State, bandhs, called by various organisations to press for their demands, have been causing on an average losses worth around Rs 900 crore in a year. An individual family in the State is also made to lose Rs 2,000, on an average, every year by such bandhs while a day of bandh means a loss Rs 41.14 crore for the State as a whole, said Federation of Industries and commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER) president Abhijit Barooah, while releasing his organisation’s report on the impact of bandhs on the economy of Assam for the period between April 2001 and March 2002...

IMPHAL, March 9 — Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has close touch with his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga over the Indo-Nagaland peace talks which is likely to resume within this month. The Mizoram Chief Minister left the capital Aizawl for Bangkok via Kolkata on March 5. The Zoramthanga’s latest visit to the Thai capital is being largely perceived as one aimed at preparing suitable grounds for the next rounds of peace talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (IM), scheduled to take place soon. Chief Minister Zoramthanga, who used to be a member of the...