UNC expects nothing from hill MLAs : Kho John
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 02 2022: The United Naga Council (UNC) has asserted that it does not expect anything from the 20 MLAs elected from the hill districts including the five MLAs of the Naga People's Front (NPF) .

Talking to The Sangai Express, UNC president Kho John said that all the 20 MLAs including the five NPF MLAs have become puppets of Chief Minister N Biren.

The UNC was thinking that the Biren Government may carry out the State administration in a very peaceful manner and the Government was asked through the NPF Manipur State unit president not to take up any sensitive issue, Kho John said.

Notably, the NPF was set up with the purported objective of fighting for the Naga issue through political means.

UNC expects nothing from hill MLAs : Kho John

The State Government and Naga leaders signed four MoUs on the creation of new districts and it was agreed that all stakeholders including Naga bodies should be consult ed before any new district was created for it would affect the Naga people.

In spite of these MoUs, the State Government created seven new districts on December 8, 2016 .

The Naga people responded by holding a consultative meeting on December 12 the same year and resolved that the decision of creating the seven new districts should be rolled back, the UNC president recalled.

This was followed by a prolonged economic blockade.

Afterward, a tripartite talk was held among the Government of India, Government of Manipur and the UNC.

The tripartite talk arrived at an understanding which said, "The grievances of the United Naga Council which led to the imposition of economic blockade by them was recognised as there was no adherence to the four MoUs and the Government of India's assurance on the matter.

The Government of Manipur agrees to start consultation with all stakeholders to redress the same" .

The prolonged economic blockade imposed by the Naga people was lifted on the same day the tripartite talk was held and it was the 139th day of the blockade, Kho John recalled.

Since then there have been nine rounds of political tripartite talks.

The tripartite talk was suspended/halted from 2019 following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the tripartite talk was suspended, the Naga consultative meeting's resolution "roll back newly created seven districts" still stands, Kho John said.

After N Biren was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Manipur for the second consecutive term, the State Government made arrangements to hold a Cabinet meeting at Kamjong.

As the same arrangement was akin to legitimising the newly created districts, the UNC directed the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) not to allow any Cabinet meeting at Kamjong.

Nonetheless, the Chief Minister and Cabinet Ministers went to Kamjong on January 15, 20021 in the name of Go to Village and Go to Hills and they also held a Cabinet meeting there.

The UNC appealed to the State Government to annul the Cabinet meeting of January 15.Subsequently, the UNC has been discouraging the Government's Go to Village and Go to Hills since May 1 last year, Kho John said.

Creation of Jiribam district and Sadar Hills district was something demanded by the people.

However, UNC raised strong objection to the creation of Sadar Hills district.

The other new districts which were not demanded by the people were created coercively and it was an imposition upon the people, the UNC president said.

The Government's preparation to hold ADC elections in all the 10 hill districts and carry out delimitation in the newly created hill districts goes against the people's wish and the UNC would not accept it, he said.

As per the District Council Act, each ADC should have 26 members including two nominees but none of the newly created district has the capacity to elect 24 Members.

However, the Government has been working to elect three Members in Pherzawl, eight Members in Kamjong, 12 Members in Tengnoupal, 16 Members in Ukhrul, 21 Members in Churachandpur, 12 Members in Chandel, nine Members in Noney and 15 Members in Tamenglong after amending the District Council Act, Kho John continued.

Pointing out that the number of ADC Members are not uniform for all the districts, the UNC president questioned the Government's intention of holding ADC election in the district which has just 500 voters.

Such things are unprecedented in India, he remarked.

Regardless of whether the District Council Act is amended or not, the UNC will oppose holding ADC election under the existing situation.

Such arrangement is unheard of in any part of the North East and the whole of India, he added.