January 24, 2024 Kangla meeting : Meitei MLAs, MPs endorse 6 demands put up by Arambai Tenggol
Right chord struck with call to abrogate Suspension of Operation pact
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 24 2024: All the Meitei MLAs including Chief Minister N Biren as well as the two Members of Parliament have endorsed the Arambai Tenggol's six demands.

As announced earlier, the Arambai Tenggol held a meeting with the Meitei legislators and MPs at Kangla Uttra at 10 am today.

36 Meitei legislators, Lok Sabha Member Dr RK Ranjan who is also the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education and Rajya Sabha Member Leisemba Sanajaoba attended the meeting.

Altogether 100 Arambai Tenggol leaders and unit commanders took part in the meeting.

Even though all the Meitei legislators were invited to the meeting, Chief Minister N Biren was not present.

The six demands put forward by the Arambai Tenggol were endorsed by the 36 legislators and the two MPs by appending their signatures on the document.

Although Chief Minister N Biren was absent, he too endorsed the demands.

CAF&PD Minister L Susindro took the document to the Chief Minister's Secretariat and came back with N Biren's signature.

The legislators who have endorsed the demands and put their signatures on the same are Chief Minister N Biren, Ministers Th Biswajit, Yumnam Khemchand, Govindas Konthoujam, Dr S Ranjan, L Susindro, H Dingo, Th Basantakumar.

Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Th Satyabrata, MLAs Lourembam Rameshwor, Th Lokeshwar, Thounaojam Shyamkumar, Kh Ibomcha, Kh Joykisan, Khwairakpam Raghumani, RK Imo, Nishikant Sapam, Thangjam Arunkumar, S Rajen, Sapam Kunjakishore, Karam Shyam, S Kebi Devi, Khuraijam Loken, Kongkham Robindro, Irengbam Nalini, Thongam Shanti, Tongbram Robindro, Sanasam Premchandra, Okram Ibobi, K Meghachandra, Thokchom Radheshyam, Paonam Brojen, Surjakumar Okram, Dr Usham Deben, Mayanglambam Rameshwar, Dr Yumnam Radheshyam, Kangujam Ranjit and MPs RK Ranjan and Leisemba Sanajaoba.

The meeting unanimously resolved to send the charter of demands to the Government of India.

The Arambai Tenggol also administered an oath to all the legislators and the MPs that they would do whatever they can to protect Manipur and her interests.

The meeting which started at 10 am concluded at 11 am.

After the meeting was over, Arambai Tenggol leader Korounganba Khuman went to Kwairamband Ima Keithel and gave a report of the meeting to women vendors and Meira Paibis.

"Although the Arambai Tenggol, Meitei MLAs/Ministers and MPs have pledged together and taken a collective resolution at Kangla, it would be premature to assume that we are victorious", Korounganba said.

All the 10 Kuki MLAs have been working unitedly since the beginning of the ongoing violent conflict but there is little unity among the Meitei legislators, he said.

There were some Meitei MLAs who could not be seen for a long time after the violence erupted but all the MLAs were present at today's meeting and we took a collective decision to safeguard Manipur, he said.

The six demands put forward by the Arambai Tenggol are implementation of the NRC with 1951 as base year and deportation of all those people who do not have their names in the updated NRC to their native places, abrogation of Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups and initiation of action against Kuki militants, deportation of Myanmar refugees currently accommodated in detention centres to Mizoram, fencing Manipur (India)-Myanmar border, replacement of Assam Rifles with other paramilitary forces and deletion of illegal Kuki immigrants from the Scheduled Tribes list.

The State Government must forward the six demands which have been endorsed by all the Meitei legislators and the MPs to the Government of India, and they must persuade New Delhi to fulfil these demands within 15 days, Korounganba said.

He said that the Arambai Tenggol placed the same six demands before the three-member team of the Ministry of Home Affairs who came to the State a few days back.

Taking serious note of the demands, the MHA team expressed desire to prioritise the question of abrogation of SoO with Kuki militant groups, he said.

The meeting convened today at Kangla with all the legislators demonstrated that the people are above all the MLAs/Ministers including the Chief Minister, he asserted.

While Manipur has been literally burning, some MLAs have been shying away from their responsibilities.

This will not be tolerated in future, said the Arambai Tenggol leader.

If the Government of India does not pay heed to the legislators of the State on the six demands, the Arambai Tenggol will do whatever it can after consultation with the people, he said.

MLAs and Ministers must present true narratives of the ongoing crisis to the Central leadership and convey the people's wishes, he said.

For Arambai Tenggol and the people, Manipur must be protected at all costs, he asserted.

The Arambai Tenggol leader said that the Government of India must translate the six demands into action within 15 days.

"Though he did not tell the Arambai Tenggol directly,! Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been considering abrogating the SoO agreement with Kuki militant groups.

We will see whether SoO is abrogated or not", Korounganba said.

If the Government of India does not fulfil the six demands which have been endorsed by all the Meitei legislators and MPs, the Arambai Tenggol, whether armed or unarmed, would do everything to protect Manipur, he said.

"All the Meitei MLAs/Ministers and MPs have sworn in the name of Ebudhou Pakhangba in front of Kangla Uttra to protect Manipur", he told the women vendors and Meira Paibis.

On behalf of the Arambai Tenggol, he conveyed gratitude to all the people who supported today's historic Kangla meeting.

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