House resolves to seek FA details; Biren says Centre may have difficulties to disclose details
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 21 2017: After deliberating minutely the issue of Framework Agreement signed between the Government of India and NSCN-IM on August 3, 2015, the Manipur Legislative Assembly today resolved to seek the details of the Framework Agreement from the Government of India .

Highlighting the anxiety felt by the people of Manipur on account of the Framework Agreement, Congress MLA Kh Joykisan raised a call attention motion at the State Assembly today .

Ten Congress MLAs submitted a written appeal to the Speaker to treat the motion as a short duration motion so that the same could be discussed minutely .

After the motion was converted into a short duration motion, both ruling and opposition MLAs discussed the Framework Agreement at length and unanimously agreed to seek the details (of the Framework Agreement) from the Government of India .

The House then constituted a four-member commi- ttee to draft a petition which would be sent to the Government of India along with the resolution adopted today .

House resolves to seek FA details; Biren says Centre may have difficulties to disclose details

The members of the committee are Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar, ex-Deputy Chief Minister Gai- khangam, Govindas Kon-thoujam and P Saratchandra .

Raising the call attention motion, Joykisan said that things would turn ugly if the MLAs representing the people of Manipur remain silent on the issue of Framework Agreement .

"All of us welcome a solution to the Naga issue but we should work to put to rest people's anxiety caused by the Framework Agreement and any possible solution based on it, Joykisan said .

He proposed that the House should adopt resolution that any solution to the Naga issue should not impinge upon the interests of Manipur in any manner .

Opposition leader and ex-Deputy Chief Minister O Ibobi clarified that Congress party has no intention to take any political mileage out of the Framework Agreement .

"If the Framework Agree-ment does not contain any- thing inimical to the interest of Manipur, then Congress party would go silent but from my experience, I've certain inklings", Ibobi stated .

Stating that he talked with the then interlocutor RS Pandey two-three times in 2014 when he was the Chief Minister, Ibobi, quoting RS Pandey, stated that NSCN-IM has been claiming almost all the hill areas of Manipur with the exception of Churachandpur .

NSCN-IM's proposed map includes 90 per cent of the total geographical area of Manipur and RS Pandey came up with different ideas like pan-Naga body, special autonomous district councils etc, Ibobi told the House .

"I categorically told RS Pandey that Manipur is inhabited by different commu- nities and the territory of Manipur does not belong to any particular community exclusively.

The State Government has no objection if the Government of India wishes to invest more funds in the hill areas but it should be done through the State Government", Ibobi recalled .

Benefits and opportunities given under the Auto- nomous District Council Act 1972 are far greater than the benefits given under the 6th Schedule in some North Eastern States .

Manipur Land Reforms and Land Revenue Act is not applied in the hill areas.

As such, no plain people can settle in the hill areas except the indigenous hill people, Ibobi stated .

He added that the Act passed in the Parliament has been effectively protecting the hill people and their land .

Despite the instruction to let NSCN-IM general secretary Th Muivah visit his village, he was prohibited from entering Manipur as it was not permissible under the cease fire ground rules and in view of the violence he unleashed in Manipur, Ibobi recounted .

Ibobi said that he was boycotted in Ukhrul for preventing Muivah from visiting his village .

The Framework Agreement may not be final but it definitely is not a blank document .

Amidst the confusion and anxiety over the Framework Agreement, the Ministry of Home Affairs may come out with an order any time and the Government of India may come out an announcement that the same order must come into immediate effect, Ibobi warned .

Given this possibility, the State Assembly ought to adopt a resolution that any solution to the Naga issue which may pave away for disintegration of Manipur in future, even if the territorial integrity of Manipur is kept intact at present is unacceptable, Ibobi asserted .

Ex-Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam remarked that the issue of Framework Agreement is a very crucial one.

Every one welcomes a logical conclusion to the protracted dialogue between the Government of India and NSCN-IM but any solution worked out between them should not impinge upon the interests of neighbouring States .

Congress party has been demanding the details of the Framework Agreement to thwart any possible disintegration of Manipur, Gaikhangam said .

Chief Minister N Biren rued that even as the State Assembly adopted a resolution that the State's integrity cannot be compromised on August 31, 2015 soon after the Framework Agreement was signed, the resolution did not incorporate anything about the Framework Agreement such as its details .

Acknowledging the importance of learning the details of the Framework Agreement before a final solution is worked out, the Chief Minister maintained that no solution should be worked out without consent of the people of Manipur and the State Assembly .

"Together with the Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, I met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at Kolkata recently but he refused to divulge anything about the Framework Agreement", Biren said adding that the Union Government may have certain difficulties in disclosing the details of the agreement .

Nonetheless, the State Government has been working relentlessly to elicit the details of the Framework Agreement.

A two-member consultative committee has been already constituted and they have met the National Security Advisor, the Home Secretary and the interlocutor.

But nothing can be learned about the Framework Agreement so far, Biren told the House.

Ruling parties, opposition parties and civil society organisations of Manipur have common standpoint on the issue of the Framework Agreement; i.e don't disturb the integrity of Manipur, Biren stated .

Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar stated that granting 6th Schedule, financial autonomy or cultural autonomy is equally risky to the integrity even if the territorial integrity is kept intact.

This should be informed to the Government of India before it is too late .

Opposition MLAs Govindas Konthoujam, K Ranjit, K Meghachandra, AK Mirabai, Md Abdul Nasir, and Dr Chaltonlien Amo too took part in discussing the motion .

From the ruling bench, MLA S Subashchandra, CAF&PD Minister Karam Shyam, advisor to Chief Minister and Government chief whip P Saratchandra, Dr Sapam Ranjan, MLA Awangbow Newmai and State Planning Board Deputy Chairman S Rajen joined the discussion.