UCM lines up mass rally on Oct 31
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 01 2018: The United Committee Manipur (UCM) has announced that a mass rally would be taken out on October 31 to reaffirm the collective stand that threat to the integrity of Manipur and the sanctity of its territorial boundary would not be tolerated.

Speaking to media persons at their Lamphelpat office today, UCM president Sunil Karam said that the mass rally has been lined up in accordance with a resolution adopted at the people's convention held on September 20 on the 213th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs.

He said that the protracted dialogue going on between the Government of India and NSCN-IM has been threatening the integrity of Manipur both politically and socially.

Together with the people, UCM has been undertaking protest agitation against all such tendency, approach and policies of the Government of India.

The mass rally scheduled on October 31 is a part of the sustained civil movement against any attempt to disintegrate Manipur, Sunil Karam said.

The rally is not directed against any community or organisation.

It would be a show of the people's resolve to safeguard Manipur and determine their own future, he said.

Saying that the mass rally would be wrapped up with a public convention, Sunil Karam said that resolutions adopted at the convention would be sent to the Government of India.

Disintegration of Manipur under any circumstances or any socio-political division based on ethnicity would not be tolerated.

Dual administration or enforcement of Article 371A or the Sixth Schedule would not be accepted.

This would be apprised to New Delhi loud and clear, said the UCM president.

In the course of the protracted political dialogue, there was the historic civil movement of June 18, 2001 and then there is the highly secretive Framework Agreement signed on August 3, 2015 .

Then the 213th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs was presented in the Parliament on July 19 this year and this particular report which is highly sectarian talks about extension of Article 371A to Manipur, Sunil noted.

Most recently, there were media reports about creation of three autonomous territorial councils- two in Arunachal Pradesh and one in Manipur- as a part of the solution to the political dialogue.

Moreover, there are media reports which allege that the civil movements being spearheaded by UCM are instigated by China which are totally baseless, he said.

Giving the recent developments, the threat to the integrity of Manipur is growing even bigger, he continued.

He then appealed to all the people including CSOs, youth clubs, Meira Paibis, political parties, Ministers, MLAs, Government and private employees, players and artists to join the mass rally scheduled on October 31.UCM general secretary Khuraijam Athouba referred to reports published in the Deccan Herald and the Asian Age which claimed the civil movements being spearheaded by UCM are instigated by China.

These reports are totally false and baseless.

By taking the name of China which implies the question of National security, the Government of India has been trying to brand the protesters as anti-Nationals and persecute them, Athouba said.

China has no hand in all these movements and the mass rally scheduled on October 31 would be demonstration of the people's collective stand against any attempt to disintegrate Manipur, he added.

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