JD (U) alleges faults in peace talks with Kuki, Naga based UGs
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 21 2011:
With an eye to the forthcoming assembly elections in Manipur, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) national general secretary and north-east in-charge Arun Kumar Srivastava found fault with the Central and the State governments in dealing with talks involving Kuki and Naga underground groups.
On the �stalled� tripartite SoO signed between two consortiums of Kuki underground outfits � KNO and UPF, Srivastava said that only through political dialogue can a lasting solution to the Kuki demands be sought.
The GoI and Manipur cannot expect that a solution to the Kuki issue will emerge just by signing a tripartite SoO agreement with KNO and UPF, he said and demanded that the GoI initiate a political dialogue with the Kuki groups.
The tripartite SoO was signed in mid-2008 by the GoI and Manipur and two consortiums of Kuki underground groups, KNO and UPF.
Since then, both the governments and the underground groups have frequently indulged in blaming each other for violating ceasefire ground rules.
In the last Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) meeting on April 9, representatives of the Kuki groups blamed the state government of reducing the stipends of their cadres.
The government justified the reduced rate of stipends saying that the cadres have played truant from the designated camps in contravention to the ground rules.
Srivastava expressed surprise at the lack of response of the GoI when the Kuki groups have shown interest in a political dialogue.
The visiting JD-U leader maintained that the ceasefire accord between NSCN-IM and the GoI has only caused untold misery to the people of Manipur given the frequent and unchecked attacks by the Naga outfit at the peaceful atmosphere.
The Indian armed forces and paramilitary forces have claimed that they are capable of facing any challenge.
"If it is so, why are the authorities helpless in preventing blockades and extortions on NH 39 between Nagaland and Manipur?", asked the JD-U national general secretary who arrived here on a two-day visit.
"Are the governments of India and Manipur doing anything to solve the frequent imposition of bandhs and blockades on NH 39 and is there any concrete strategy to take the Indo-Naga ceasefire agreement to a logical end", he further asked.
Meeting the media, Srivastava also spoke on the issue of AFSPA, and urged the people to step up its support for the over-ten-year anti-AFSPA struggle launched by the tenacious Irom Sharmila Chanu.
�Her (Sharmila�s) demand is genuine and totally justified, so the people must rally behind her in greater numbers proactively so as to save her life and banish AFSPA from the soil of Manipur,� he said adding that other states of India have witnessed increasing threats from terrorist activities but AFSPA has not been extended in these areas.
He also contrasted the anti-corruption agitation launched by Anna Hazare in recent times to the over-ten-year fast of Sharmila and said that the support that Anna managed to mobilize in 3-4 days in favour of his cause and asked the people of Manipur to proactively support Sharmila�s movement against AFSPA in large numbers to replicate the effectiveness of Anna�s movement in Manipur.
Srivastava said that the rising menace of extortion in Manipur is directly proportionate to the increasing unemployment in the state.
The state unit president of JD-U, M Tombi Singh said that the incumbent government of Manipur is busy earning corrupt money rather than discharging its duty towards the people.
The government must revoke its cabinet decision taken sometimes back on relocating street vendors of Khwairamband bazar and provide them with a proper market shed to protect them from natural elements, he demanded.
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