Ibobi pulls no punches in speaking out his mind
Source: The Sangai Express / Manipur Info Centre
New Delhi, August 07 2015 :
"I was quite surprised when I came to know the historic peace accord between the Government of India and NSCN (IM) without informing us".
The accord was was signed on August 3 .
Talking to the media here today, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said that he then asked the Union Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh to send a copy of the agreement.
Rajnath replied that he would present the statement in Parliament but till date, the matter has not been presented in the Parliament, added Ibobi.
Day before yesterday, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Union Minister of State for DoNER Jitendra Singh, during their inspection of flood in Manipur, told the media in Imphal that the peace accord was a simple framework, he narrated.
The Chief Minister stated that the Government of Manipur was very much concerned about the sensitive issue.
"My people will ask me why the State Government did not know anything about the Naga accord.
So, I have come here to collect the full text of the accord from the Centre", he said.
He said that the statement of Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Niramala Sitaraman yesterday that the Chief Ministers refused to come for a meeting called by the Prime Minister on the Naga Issue, was completely false and misleading.
Ibobi produced the two letters dated July 7, 2015 and July 10, 2015 sent from NITI Aayog and placed them before the media.
Ibobi said that the first one was for the meeting held on July 15 at 11 am about the discussion on Land Acquisition Act which the Congress ruled States had boycotted and the next one was for the meeting at 7 pm on the same day relating to the development of the North Eastern Region.
If the agenda was on Naga Accord, he would have definitely attended the meeting, he remarked.
The Chief Minister further expressed, "Nagas are my brothers and sisters living together in harmony for many years on Manipur soil.
We want a lasting solution for the NSCN (IM).
If they demand the Naga areas from Manipur, 90 percent of the land will go, which we cannot agree" .
He further stated, "While RS Pandey was the interlocutor of NSCN (IM) peace talk, he always consulted the Government of Manipur on every step.
When Ravi was appointed as interlocutor, he never approached the State Government on the issue".
Ibobi took a firm stand that not a single inch of land will be given from the territory of Manipur.
Indian National Congress also organized a press briefing today at AICC conference room, Akbar Road here.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewalla was the main speaker.
Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi who also attended the briefing said that the Naga accord took him by surprise as it was signed by the interlocutor as a representative of the Government of India.
He asked for the validity of the agreement.
He further raised the question why it had been kept secret till today.
Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Nabam Tuki said that if the peace accord damages the co-existence of the people of the North Eastern region, it would be meaningless.
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