Centre's Crooked Schemes - State has given the right answer
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 10, 2010 -

Considering the Centre's flagrant disregard of Manipur Government's rights to judge internal issues of the state on different occasions, sincerity of present and past Prime Ministers, many Union Ministers, Home Secretary and other political leaders who had given assurances time and again that the territorial boundary of Manipur and other North Eastern states would not be disturbed is called into question.

Way back in 2001, on July 14, the Centre had signed an agreement with the NSCN-IM leaders in Bangkok, Thailand declaring that the ceasefire between the GoI and the NSCN-IM was extended 'without territorial limits". The Centre failed to show the slightest courtesy of asking the Government of Manipur of its comment before deciding to sign the declaration.

The thoughtless and unwise decision of the GoI had resulted in the death of 18 persons and torching of Manipur Legislative Assembly building, CM's official bungalow, many MLAs' official quarters, office buildings of political parties, etc. Lakhs and lakhs of people rose against the GoI and the NSCN-IM and protested in the streets.

Communal tension was at its peak, but fortunately no bloodshed happened. Now again, the Centre had permitted the NSCN-IM leader Th Muivah to visit Naga inhabited areas in Manipur including his birth-place–Somdal in Ukhrul district without consulting the State government and weighing the likely impact on law and order in the state and the people's reaction.

The Centre's careless attitude toward the issue has once again created a crisis leaving two persons dead and injury to many at Mao gate.

Though the NSCN-IM has deferred Muivah's visit to Manipur for now, and tension at Mao gate has somewhat eased, the issue is far from being solved. The National Highway 39 from Senapati to Makhan village is still not open to traffic as innumerable road-blocks of piles of boulders as high as a jeep and felled tree trunks are still in place.

The road-blocks were set up by Naga villagers to obstruct reinforcements of state force from Imphal, and Assam Rifles and Army troops heading toward Mao. The reinforcement troops of IRB sent from Imphal remained stranded at Kangpokpi for four days as they could not move further because of the obstructions manned by large number of women and men.

These men and women had been organised into setting up the road obstructions by the supporters of NSCN-IM to wear the state force teams at Mao down, and defeat them in the war of nerves. The State Security Forces and the Central Para Military Forces need to clear the obstructions and disperse the crowds to reach Mao. The security forces would know better how to do it.

Meanwhile, there are certain things needed to be dealt with urgently. One, the State Government should take steps to ensure the safety of Meeteis/Manipuris settled in Kohima, Dimapur and elsewhere in Nagaland. Communication at government level in this regard would be required.

Two, the State Government has to find a way to bring more than 300 trucks of Manipur stranded at Khatkhati in Assam back to the state. The trucks may come toward Silchar and Jiribam from where security force can escort them to Imphal. Talking to the authority of Nagaland at this point of time about felicitating smooth pass of the trucks through that state is unlikely to yield a positive result.

However, the governments of two neighbouring states are expected to be friendly and cooperative. After all, the actions taken by the Government of Manipur at Mao gate are not directed against the Government of Nagaland. The NSCN-IM and the Government of Nagaland are not the one and same.

The Government of that state had not been formed by the members of NSCN-IM. Tacit understanding between the two is a different story. Three, price of essential commodities has soared in the state. Certain commodities such as LPG, petrol, diesel, etc are not available at the oil pumps, but they are available at very high price in the blackmarket.

Four, State Chief Minister O Ibobi needs to tell the Centre categorically that they (Centre) must never take his loyalty to Congress and Nationalism or for that matter, the Congress-led SPF government, for granted when it comes to the question of Manipur's territorial integrity.

In order to avoid more trouble and confusion in future, the GoI is required to consult the State Government before taking any decision unilaterally regarding issues connected with the State of Manipur. This must be clearly instilled in the mindset of those at the Centre.