To protect interests of Manipur in the face of Framework Agreement CSOs, pol parties reaffirm Nov 18 resolutions
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 02 2017: A joint meeting of political parties and civil society organisations held today at Manipur Press Club reaffirmed the resolutions adopted at the ‘Possible outcomes of the Framework Agreement in the context of Manipur’ held at Lamyanba Shanglen, Palace Compound on November 18 .

Notably, the open dialogue resolved that the Government of India should incorporate a new provision in the Constitution’s Article 371(C) under which the State Assembly’s consent is made mandatory for the Government of India to interfere in any matter related to the political, historical and social identity of Manipur .

The joint meeting held today took five resolutions in connection with the Framework Agreement signed between NSCN (IM) and Government of India .

Apart from reaffirming the resolutions adopted at the November 18 Open Dialogue, the joint meeting agreed that all the CSOs, political parties and stake holders will work together with a common perspective .

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The closed door meeting that went on for hours was organized by the United Committee Manipur (UCM), the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organization (AMUCO) and the Committee of Civil Societies Kangleipak (CCSK) .

Speaking to media persons after the meeting, UCM president Elangbam Johnson stated that the meeting was convened after inviting all the political parties active in the State in advance and it was not called all of a sudden .

Informing that the CSOs, stake holders and political parties which participated at the meeting discussed minutely about the various aspects of the Framework Agreement, Johnson highlighted that the joint meeting also reaffirmed the resolutions taken by people at the "Open dialogue on the possible outcomes of the Framework Agreement" held on November 18 last .

The third resolution says that all the moves/steps that will be taken up privately or collectively by the political parties with regard to the Framework Agreement must respect and honour the people's resolutions adopted at the Open Dialogue on November 18, Johnson conveyed .

The joint meeting further resolved that all political parties would exert all possible pressures on the Centre and Central leaders concerned in connection with the Framework Agreement, either separately or collectively and a joint team of CSOs would make similar endeavours .

The meet also resolved to launch general awareness campaign in the State in order to generate awareness among the common masses on the developments after the Framework Agreement was signed, the UCM president further confided .

The political parties present in today's meeting included INC, BJP, NPP, CPI, CPI (M), JD-U, LJP, NCP, AITC, NEIDP and Shiv Sena.

However, the NPF which a partner of the BJP-led coalition Government did not attend the meeting .

Some other resolutions adopted at the November 18 Open Dialogue were; political parties, CSOs and the people of Manipur would urge the Government of India to add a new provision to the Article 371(C) so that any attempt to fragment or polarise different communities of the State can be checked effectively; State ratification should be made compulsory in case the Indian Parliament must invoke Article 3 of the Constitution of India in Manipur; the Framework Agreement signed between the Government of India and NSCN-IM on August 3, 2015 should not impinge upon the integrity of Manipur and its territorial boundary in any manner; any policy or programme which is based on the Framework Agreement should not be implemented in Manipur without consent of the State Government and the people of the State even if it respects the sanctity of the territorial integrity of Manipur and any structural body such as pan Naga cultural body, provincial/territorial council or financial autonomy or ethnic administrative division which directly or indirectly acknowledges NSCN-IM’s demand for integration of Naga-inhabited areas of the North East should not be formed.