Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted that Naga peace talks are underway and hoped that the initiative taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring lasting peace in the northeastern state will bear fruit.

Addressing an election rally in Tuensang, Shah said there are some issues related to development and rights of eastern Nagaland and those will be addressed after the assembly elections.

Asserting that insurgency is on the wane in the Northeast, he claimed that there has been a 70 per cent dip in violent incidents in the region under the BJP rule, stated a PTI report.

The Union home minister also claimed that there has been a 60 per cent reduction in deaths of security forces, while civilian deaths have dipped by 83 per cent in the Northeast.

Noting that Armed Force (Special Powers) Act, 1958 has been lifted from large parts of Nagaland by the BJP government, he expressed hope that the Act will be removed from across the northeastern state in the next three to four years, the report stated.

Elections to the 60-member assembly will be held on February 27 and votes will be counted on March 2.