UNC raises resignation bogey again
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 14, 2011:
Observing that the resignation process initiated by seven Naga MLAs by submitting their resignation letters to the Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly on May 6 and again on May 12 last year is still in limbo, the United Naga Council (UNC) has urged the seven Naga MLAs to make their positions on their resignation stand clear without any doubts on or before January 31. In this regard, a missive was delivered to the house guards of MLAs M Thohrii, Marung Makunga, Dr Khashim Ruivah, Danny Shaiza, Wungnaoshang Keishing, N Awangbou and K Raina by an auto-rickshaw driver yesterday.
The missive was sent to the MLAs in accordance with the UNC presidential council meeting held on January 8 at Tahamzam.
This was felt necessitated because of the various ground realities facing the Naga people at this juncture, it said.
The ground realities listed by the UNC included the Naga people's decision to seek intervention of the Government of India for an alternative arrangement outside the Government of Manipur as per declaration of the Naga People's Convention held on July 1, 2010. The UNC submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India on September 14 last year and this was followed by a tripartite talk between the Government of India, Government of Manipur and the UNC on December 3 last year at Tahamzam to begin the political process of alternative arrangement.
The second round of tripartite talk is likely to be held in the later part of the current month, the UNC confided in its missive.
Stating that the demand for alternative arrangement is political in nature, the UNC asserted that political stand of the seven Naga MLAs behind the alternative arrangement is the need of the hour.
The UNC further called upon the MLAs to honour clause (III) of the undertakings signed by them on January 16, 2007 which said, "That, I shall resign from the Manipur Legislative Assembly if called upon to do so by the Naga people, represented by the UNC".
Failure to honour this undertaking would compel the Naga people to consider that the seven Naga MLAs have defied the same undertaking.