CPI renews pledge on border fencing issue
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 13 2013:
Affirming that CPI remains committed to protecting Manipur's geographical boundary at any cost, CPI Manipur State council secretary Dr M nara said the ruling Congress Government should own responsibility if the ongoing Indo-Myanmar border fencing project results in diminishing of Manipur's territory.
Speaking to newspersons at Irabot Bhawan today, Dr Nara said if the people's apprehension about imminent loss of State's boundary as a fallout of the border fencing becomes an unwanted reality, the ruling Congress party should accept that Manipur has shrunk because of its administrative incompetency.
Stating that CPI would always do the needful to preserve Manipur's emotional and territorial unity even under trying circumstances, he also observed that the issue at had calls for unified and intense movement by both the political parties and civil society organisations.
Pointing out that Communist party's role and activities in protecting interest of the people of Manipur dates back to the Pungdong-bam incident of September 21, 1948, the former Minister also maintained that at every State or national level congregations of the CPI issues concerning Manipur figured prominently.
From stiff opposition led by the party's general secretary AB Bardhan against the 'ceasefire without territorial limit' clause of the Bangkok Declaration between the then NDA Government and NSCN (IM) to the inclusion in the UPA-I's common minimum programme that boundaries of the North Eastern States should remain intact, the CPI had been at the forefront of safeguarding Manipur's territorial and emotional integrity, said the CPI State general secretary while reminding that left parties in the UPA-I coordination committee insisted on maintaining status quo regarding the NE States' boundaries.
Apart from the CPI State delegation that inspected the ongoing border fencing work some times back confirming that manipur would certainly lose large tract of its territory consequent to the international barricade, the issue was debated at the previous Parlia- mentary session on August 30 at the initiation of CPI Rajya Sabha MP D Raja, he added referring to CPI's continuous initiative to uphold interest of Manipur and its people.