Makhan protests Sadar Hills district demand
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 06 2011:
Coming out openly against the Sadar Hills district demand, a protest demonstration was today staged at Makhan by people coming from around 117 Naga villages located within the projected Sadar Hills district.
The protest demonstration was participated by several hundreds of people including school students.
The protesters put up placards and festoons which read as, "Senapati district cannot be dismembered", "Sadar Hills district cannot be created without the consent of Nagas", "Administrative boundaries should not be reorganised", "SHDDC's demand is not supported by all the people" etc.
Addressing a public meeting held as a part of the protest demonstration, Liangmai Naga Council, Senapati Zone chairman T Disinang said that they kept silent on the issue for the UNC and other Naga frontal organisations were fighting for the common cause.
"But now we have decided to openly protest the Sadar Hills district demand, and hence the protest demonstration", Disinang said.
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Saying that they would never compromise their land and rights, Disinang maintained they were not objecting to any community's agenda but only protecting their land and rights.
Saikul Area Naga People's Organisation president Chance Raikhan questioned if the SHDDC has any hidden agenda behind the demand for Sadar Hills district which they took up without ever bothering to consult the Nagas.
Contending that there were reasons for not creating Sadar Hills district, Raikhan asserted that State Government and Naga organisations have signed four MoUs in the past.
These MoUs clearly laid down that no new districts can be created without the consent of Nagas, he said.
"That is why, Sadar Hills district still remains elusive even though the same demand is 40 years old.
If the demand carries mandate of all the people, it can be fulfilled in a day", he asserted.
It is only a matter of omitting the letter 'A' from the present nomenclature 'Kangpokpi ADC', Raikhan said.
"Because we did not stage such open protest earlier, the SHDDC simply presumed that their demand was supported by Naga people of Sadar Hills area", he remarked.
He asserted that it needs a joint consultation between SHDDC and Naga people of Sadar Hills area before the issue of Sadar Hills district demand is settled.
Condemning the alleged double-standard nature of the State Government, Raikhan asked the Government's motive of accepting the Sadar Hills district demand as genuine after it has signed four MoUs with the Nagas, only to come up with the idea of constituting the Committee on Re-organisaton of Administrative and Police Boundaries.
The State Government's conduct is more akin to the proverbial distribution of cake by a cunning monkey between two quarrelling cats, and is indicative of its sinister design to exacerbate conflict between hill people.
The protest demonstration culminated with different slogans shouted in unison.
They shouted slogans like, "Sadar Hills district should not be created", "Honour the MoUs" etc.
The meeting agreed to stage similar protest demonstrations in Naga inhabited villages of Sadar Hills area.