RPF sums up relevance of Khongjom
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 22 2011:
The Battle of Khongjom is shining bright in the history of Manipur as a Polestar just like a beacon providing the directions to way lost wayfarers, remarked RPF Publicity Secretary T Leisemba in a statement today.
The forefathers of today's generation who valued freedom more than anything else, fought many battles against the mighty British with their bare hands and bravery.
The Battle of Khongjom which was the most intense and decisive is an inspiration to the present generation, it said.
A large number of Manipuri men, from both the hills and valley, came to the battlefields and laid down their lives without any remorse for the sake of safeguarding the sovereignty of the Nation.
Even young boys joined the battle and fought against the invading British with extraordinary valour.
"Even as they knew that had no chance of winning the war, our forefathers stood up bravely against the multitude of well-equipped British army who were advancing from three directions", the outfit recalled while noting that the Battle of Khongjom is a continuous source of inspiration for the present generation.
The underlying message of the Battle of Khongjom is, "as mortals, we will die one day and as mortal men, we must fight several battles so as to live independently under nobody's subjugation", Leisemba explained.
Because of factionalism, Manipur witnessed the Seven Years' Devastation and again, disunity among the ruling prices resulted in the Battle of Khongjom.
To avoid such disastrous events, there should be unity among the people of Manipur.
Disunity among the people facilitated the Government of India to "annex" Manipur without much effort, he added.
"Because of our inability to bring changes to the existing situation, we are leading a life of subservience.
To free ourselves from these shackles, we need to struggle collectively with unity of purpose", the outfit asserted.
Manipur is not yet an independent country.
Under several black laws, security forces have been killing and detaining people, and also outraging the modesty of many women at their own fancy and whims.
"The alien rulers have taken control of our economy and our markets have been converted into captive markets while our territory has been shrinking day by day.
Seemingly, the puppet Government is there only to give ex-gratia for innocent people killed by security forces", the outfit alleged.
Alleging that the so-called leaders of the puppet Government have no ears to listen to the people's voices, the outfit called upon all the people to pledge together on the occasion of Khongjom Day to fight against all the enemies collectively.
It further appealed to all the people to observe Khongjom Day with dedication in a purposeful manner.