Merger Agreement not tenable: PREPAK
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, September 27 2011: In a press issued by its Assistant Secretary, Publicity and Propaganda, the proscribed P R E P A K stated that the Manipur State Legislative Assembly elected under the Manipur Constitution Act 1947 and the government headed by M K Priyobrata as Chief Minister in a sitting of the Legislative Assembly on September 28, 1948 passed a resolution rejecting the "Merger Agreement" signed in September 21, 1949 between the then Maharaja of Manipur Budhachandra and State Sri Vapal Panguni Menon and the Governor of Assam Sri Prakasa.

The people then also stood against the agreement.

The release once again declared that the said agreement is not valid.

The release recounted that after the defeat in the Anglo Manipur War Manipur came under colonial rule for 56 years and after the end of World War II the major imperialist powers left their colonies whereby newly independent states in different parts of the world emerged.

India was also among those newly independent state, the release continued.

And having learned its lesson from the British, "the Indian leadership including, Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, V P Menon, Shri Prakasa started plotting to keep the newly independent Manipur within its fold which culminated in the signing of the 'Merger Agreement' by Maharaja Budhachandra under duress and forcefully annexed Manipur into India", said the release.

India claims that Manipur merged into India of its own accord but International Law says it has been forcefully annexed, the agreement singed by the then Maharaja who had no constitutional power vested in him to do so is in contravention of the Vienna Convention on Laws of Treaty, stated the release.

The Maharaja in his letter also repeatedly pointed out that all the powers are now vested with the state assembly and the people which makes it null and void.

The release further went on to state that the letter written on Sep 18, 1949 by Shr Prakasa to Sardar Patel clearly shows that the Maharaja was kept as a prisoner prior to the signing of the agreement.

Because of these dubious reason, the agreement was kept hidden for some tiem.

One of the signatories of the agreement VP Menon stated that Manipur was annexed for its progress and because it happens to be a border state, going by this logic, the release stated, USA can go around annexing every small and big state.

It is obvious that the annexation of Manipur by India is wrong and is against International norms, the relase stated.

In conclusion, recollecting the resolution adopted by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on September 28 rejecting the "Merger Agreement" and in honour of the stand taken by the people against the act, the release stated, it once again reiterates that the "Merger Agreement" is null and void and is not tenable.

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