Koireng-led UNLF reacts to professor Bhagat's remark
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 12 2024: The Central Committee of the proscribed United National Liberation Front (UNLF) led by Koireng supports the spirit of professor Bhagat Oinam and professor Priyoranjan on their attempts to make aware the public about the idea of Manipur during a public discourse titled 'Conversation on the Concept of Manipur: A Resilient Manipur' organised by Manipur Thinker's Forum.

According to a Koireng-led UNLF statement, both professor Bhagat Oinam and professor Priyoranjan brought out strengths and weaknesses of the society while discussing important phases of the history of Manipur in their attempts to make clearer public about the idea of Manipur during the public discourse, a video of which is being circulated widely on social media platform (Youtube) .

The central committee considers that the discussion to bring out policies for self-strengthening and loopholes as per changing time and global phenomenon empowers a society to join the global race for development.

However, professor Bhagat missed out the big point - the annexation of Manipur by India in 1949 - in his deliberation at the public discourse and the more worrisome was that he sidelined the degrading Manipur to 'Part C State' status and dishonour of people of the land after abolishing the Constitutional Monarchic Democracy system that Manipur had at the time of decolonization in South Asia, the statement said.

The movement for restoring sovereignty of Manipur locally known as 'Naharol' did not started from the 1960s as pointed out by professor Bhagat in the public discourse but the movement started right after India snatched the right to self-determination of the people of Manipur in 1949 .

The UNLF repeatedly mentioned this thought in press handouts from time to time.

However, professor Bhagat contradicted its thought and cited 'Greater Nagaland' struggle of the Nagas as reason behind many youth fearlessly joining the 'Naharol' movement and his remark at the public discourse wrongly portrayed the movement for self-determination or 'Naharol' movement, the statement said.

While asserting that professor Bhagat's remark was not true and the ongoing revolutionary movement is being carried forward with the spirit of collective survival of all the indigenous peoples of the land, the Koireng led UNLF statement expressed belief that professor Bhagat will rectify his erroneous thought in future public discourses.

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