Naga peace talk : UCM convenes meet on Sep 19, reiterates stand
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 15 2019: While reiterating its position that any solution to the Naga peace talk should not harm the interest of Manipur in any manner, the United Committee Manipur (UCM) has called a public meeting on September 19 at Lamyanba Shanglen, Palace Compound.

After offering tarpan to the martyrs of June 18, 2001 at Kekrupat here today, UCM president Sunil Karam told media persons that not a single sentence of the Framework Agreement signed between Government of India and NSCN-IM on August 3, 2015 has been disclosed till date.

As such, all the people of Manipur have been living under a restive situation.

Apart from submitting a number of memoranda, a number of CSOs including the UCM met the Prime Minister of India and interlocutor RN Ravi and made it clear that any solution to the Naga peace talk should not impinge upon the interest of Manipur in any manner.

Naga peace talk : UCM convenes meet on Sep 19, reiterates stand

At the same time, people carried out several protest movements to drive home the point that all the indigenous communities of the State should co-exist, there should not be any administrative division or decision based on ethnicity and the GoI should not do anything which may undermine the State of Manipur, Sunil Karam said.

However, no official reply has been received from the Prime Minister or the interlocutor to the number of memoranda submitted to the GoI.

Nonetheless, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured during a meeting with the UCM that all the stake holders of the State would be consulted if the political dialogue reaches any stage where the State's interests may be harmed.

RN Ravi who is also now the Governor of Nagaland recently stated that GoI is keen to bring a solution to the Naga peace talk by October.

This was followed by NSCN-IM's statement which claimed that they and GoI have reached a broad understanding except on the issues of separate flag and separate Constitution.

Although the peace talk has reached such a decisive stage, the Prime Minister's Office has not yet issued any statement regarding the collective position of the people Manipur with regard to the peace talk, thereby creating a panicky situation among the masses, remarked the UCM president.

People are worried whether the broad understanding reached between GoI and NSCN-IM is confined to the State of Nagaland alone or if it transcends the boundary of Nagaland.

People of Manipur and the UCM have no objection to a solution worked out between GoI and NSCN-IM but as stated repeatedly, the solution should not harm the interest of Manipur in any manner nor should it guarantee any kind of autonomy to any ethic group nor should it pave way for administrative division based on ethnicity, Sunil Karam asserted.

Saying that the UCM has been preparing for a campaign which would highlight possible outcomes of the peace talk, Sunil informed that a one day public 'alert meeting' on the possible settlement of Naga peace talk would be held at Lamyanba Shanglen at 11 am of September 19.He then appealed to all sections of society to attend the September 19 meeting, and also not to call any bandh or blockade on the particular day.

UCM general secretary Kh Athouba said that many stake holders of the State including the UCM talked with the Consultative Group constituted by the State Government in August twice.

The two meetings revealed that the State Government has no idea about what course the Indo-Naga peace talk would take and how it may affect Manipur, Athouba remarked.

He then asked how the State Government, given its ignorance of the dialogue process, would face any eventuality arising out of it.

NSCN-IM was born out of the Shillong Accord.

Soon after, NSCN-IM took many small communities of Manipur under their wings and created the theory of unique Naga history which has now been recognised by GoI, he said.

It's time for all the communities of Manipur to discard the theory of unique Naga history and collectively fight the policy of GoI based on the civilization of Manipur, Athouba said.