UNLF hits back at President
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 14 2011:
Reacting to President Pratibha Patil's call to the people of Manipur to give up violence and join the development process, the proscribed UNLF has countered that the violence and crimes witnessed in Manipur were the Government of India's doing.
A statement issued by the outfit's senior publicity officer Ksh Yoiheiba alleged that the Indian leaders were deriding the people of Manipur by projecting them as violence seeking people whereas it has been pointed out repeatedly that the alleged forced annexation of Manipur by India is the root cause of all the violence.
The UNLF's movement is against the expansionist policy of India, it's a struggle to regain the right to self-determination.
It is a universal understanding that suppressed people would unfailingly revolt against colonial rule, the outfit asserted.
No one can deny that all the violence being witnessed in Manipuri society is an offshoot of the alien rule.
Asking if President Pratibha Patil was totally unaware of the numerous cases of human rights violations committed by security forces in Manipur, the outfit alleged that Patil's complete silence on Nura Temsingnabi Sharmila's 10 year old democratic campaign, in spite of being a woman herself, only exposed that she is an inhuman head of the colonial regime.
That was why the people boycotted her maiden visit to Manipur.
President Patil's call to give up violence obviously implied that the ongoing armed movement aimed at restoring the lost sovereignty should be stopped.
Another implication of the Indian President's call was that Manipuri people should forsake their distinct identity and merge with alien culture of India, the outfit alleged.
The recent trend marked by Government of India's generous provision of fund was not the case 10 years back.
The recent trend is compelled by the changing situation during the last 10 years during which the revolutionary movement gained strength from strength.
Worried over the growing strength of the revolutionary movement, the Government of India took up some development programmes just for name's sake to hoodwink the people and enable themselves establish a proxy government in Manipur, the UNLF alleged.
The Government of India has been continuously scheming to pull away the mass from the revolutionary movement so that the distinct identity of the Manipuri nation can be completely obliterated and merged the indigenous with multitude of Indian population.
This is the core meaning of the Indian leaders' call to the people of Manipur to join the nation building process of India.
Independence of Manipur cannot be achieved simply by talking with Indian leaders.
Nevertheless it would be impossible for India to suppress a strong liberation movement waged together with the mass, the UNLF asserted.
The UNLF made the proposal for plebiscite in recognition of the people's right to choose their own political future.
But the Government of India has been suppressing this inalienable right of the people by paying little attention to the proposal for plebiscite.
Appeals made by some people to the President of India to bring a solution to the conflict situation through dialogue and the discussion held in the State Assembly to create a conducive atmosphere for dialogue were acts of undermining the liberation movement and it was against the people's call for plebiscite, the outfit asserted.