Bell rung on opium, migration wars-II
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 09 2019: The history of annexation in India is not always in a natural and democratic process.

Two princely States of Gujarat namely Manavadar which was a tiny state in size and Junagadh had been acceded to Pakistan by the then rulers.

But the Indian Government had dispatched many police forces to this region and imposed economic blockades, alleged the chairman.

Rulers and heads of the state had been driven out of this region and many officials were arrested.

Taking chances of this situation, Referendums were conducted in these two States on February 1948 and eventually these States acceded to India.

Later, Government of India deployed armies under the codename "Operation Polo" and "Operation Vijay" and then annexed Hyderabad and Goa respectively.

The popular election of Sikkim held in 1947 had rejected the proposal of Sikkim to be part of India, and so Sikkim was an independent kingdom.

Despite earlier rejection, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi along with the RAW conspired and ordered the Indian Armies to take control of Sikkim and detain the king.

Thereafter Sikkim was annexed by India under the controversial Referendum of 14 April 1975 that allowed many Indians to vote.

Referring to such illegitimate incidence, the Prime Minister Morarji Desai said in New York Times (1978) that "the annexation of Sikkim is an undesirable step", further alleged the outfit.

By putting Maharaja Budhachandra of Manipur under house arrest, he was forced to sign the Merger Agreement instead of holding referendum, alleged the outfit and added that a big question remains still in the mind of Manipuri people of why and how plebiscite was not held in Manipur as it was done in other similar princely states and why the Durbar members were not also advised to express their opinion.

Manipur was well advanced in enacting the constitution and started its administration under popular election system as compared to India.

This made Indian leaders uncertain and hazy about the people of Manipur that they might not like to join the newly independent India.

Moreover, various agencies provided intelligence inputs to Indian leaders that it might not be successful in integrating Manipur if referendum was held, it alleged and added that similarly, since Kashmiri people did not like to join India freely, the Indian intelligent agencies reported to the then Indian leaders that the UN sponsored plebiscite would not come in favor of India.

This was the main reason that the UN Resolution on Kashmir Plebiscite was not implemented by the Indian government, further alleged the outfit.

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