Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 27 2010:
Ridiculing the unlawful tag given to the revolutionary organisations of the land, the Manipur People's Liberation Front has stated that it is the 'occupation of Manipur by India' which is unlawful.
In a statement issued to the press today, MPLF said that as in previous years, the Government of India has dubbed the revolutionary organisations, fighting for a sovereign Manipur, unlawful organisations.
Stating that India is still using the colonial laws, used by the British, when it was under the British Raj, MPLF said that such a practise is a clear sign of Delhi not knowing its own history of freedom movement.
Dubbing the revolutionary organisations of Manipur as unlawful is just like the steps taken up by the British rulers to dub the Indian National Army led by Subhash Chandra Bose as unlawful, said MPLF.
Likewise dubbing the revolutionaries of Manipur as terrorists and extremists is akin to the British rulers dubbing Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose etc as terrorists.
Though such people and their organisations were dubbed as terrorists by the British, to the people of India, they were heroes, said MPLF and added that present policies pursued by the Government of India betrays their lack of understanding of their own freedom movement.
Such policies has also added a blot on the universal understanding of freedom and independence.
On the other hand, the laws and the rule of India in Manipur is unlawful, said MPLF and explained that the Manipur Merger Agreement, under which Manipur was annexed into the Dominion of India, was signed by keeping Maharaja Bodhchandra under duress.
Such a document can have no place of acceptance according to international laws, it asserted.
Not only was the Merger Agreement signed under duress, but the Manipur State Assembly, which was formed according to the Constitution of Manipur, never ratified the Agreement, argued MPLF.
As such the laws and rule of India cannot be lawful to the people, as it was extended under an unlawful agreement.
Moreover, the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi had annulled the Merger Agreement and accordingly scrapped the privy purse of the King of Manipur, said MPLF.
Therefore, it can be said that from the date the Merger Agreement was annulled, it can be said that Manipur had ceased to be a part of India, said MPLF.