Sana Konung doesn't belong to any govt, says Titular King
Cabinet to discuss acquisition of Royal Palace today
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, June 21 2013 : The State Cabinet would convene a meeting to discuss acquisition of Sana Konung (Royal Palace) and its surrounding areas for development into a historical monument tomorrow at 3 pm.

The discussion on Royal Palace has been placed under agenda no.4 of the Cabinet Meeting tomorrow as per Chief Minister Okram Ibobi's wish to develop the Royal Palace as a landmark historical monument of the State.

Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with Hueiyen Lanpao on the eve of the proposed Cabinet meeting, the Titular King Leishemba Sanajaoba has categorically asserted the Royal Palace and its surrounding areas do not belong to the State government at all.

The titular king further said that the Royal Palace has not been placed in anybody's name right from the time Manipur was an independent state until today under the Indian Union.

There are no records of the Royal Palace being a property of the State.

The Palace pays no land tax to the government and no authority has ever ordered to pay tax, Leishemba noted.

According to the Merger Agreement signed between Manipur and India in 1949, the religious and customary rights of the State must be retained with the King even though the government takes over the administrative power, the Titular King asserted.

Sana Konung doesn't belong to any govt, says Titular King

It may be noted that the State government during the tenure of the then Deputy Chief Minister Irengbam Tompok had planned to acquire the Royal Palace.

However, the issue landed in the Court.

The then titular King Okendra had written a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs at that time against the decision of the State government.

Subsequently, the Indian government ordered the State government to sort out personal properties of the King from the State's inventory.

Deputy Chief Minister Tompok was even ordered to pay a fine of Rs.2000 to the Royal Palace by the Court after he retracted his decision of acquiring the Palace.

Leishemba further maintained that he has no objection to State government developing the Palace, but it should be done in regard to a King living in this Palace.

The Royal Palace as a "historical monument" would mean that the King is no more without anybody to look after the Palace.

However, the Palace is still functioning in terms of social and religious issues of the State and so it cannot be made a historical monument.

The government should instead develop the Langthabal Palace as a monument, he contended.

Leishemba further said that the State government cannot apply the Land Acquisition Act to acquire the Royal Palace as it is the sole property of the King and not of the State.

"I would stand to safeguard the Royal Palace and face all eventualities till death if the government decides to take over the Palace", the titular king averred.

Leishemba continued that he had studied outside the State and he could have enjoyed like other members of the Royal Family, but he made all sacrifices just to preserve the old-age Monarchy in the State though not politically.

The Royal Palace of Tripura has been made marvellous by the government, but the King cannot enter the Palace without permission from the government authorities.

Such Palace is a dead Palace with no significance to the present generation, the Titular King contended.

Leishemba lamented that the government authorities often make claims to have deep regards for the King, but in reality he has to face the pangs of insults and disregard.

He recalled that the Deputy Commissioner of Imphal East had once summoned him at his office to negotiate on the price of the Royal Palace.

"The King was deeply regarded by the British even under their rule.

The present Royal Palace was constructed in 1904 after the annexation of Manipur by British in 1891", Leishemba noted.

Dwelling on the traditional significance of the King, he said that some people from Chief Minister's Ibobi clan "Okram" have recently approached him to allow use of "Keirel-Keijao" in the funeral of one of the clan's male member.

He had allowed them to use the traditionally significant "Keirel-Keijao" in the funeral.

Otherwise, no Minister or any other authority of the government could have granted that permission, Leishemba said.

He further stated that the people have bestowed much faith upon him and so the decision of the government would be faced not only by him, but with the large populace of this State.