Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 22:
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee assured the United Committee, Manipur delegates yesterday that the review of the ceasefire agreement including the phrase �without territorial limits� has started and is in progress.
Addressing a press conference today three UCM leaders who came back from Delhi today said that the Prime Minister affirmed that the review of the ceasefire agreement has started when an 11 member team of the UCM called on him at his residence yesterday.
The UCM team impressed upon the Prime Minister to withdraw the ceasefire extension immediately from the State so that normalcy is restored.
Following the fervent insistence of the UCM leaders, the PM assured them that process of reviewing the ceasefire extension has started including the phrase �without territorial limits� since the ceasefire agreement will come into force only form August 1 there is still time to thoroughly go through he agreement afresh, said the Prime Minister.
The PM also asked UCM to suspend the agitation until a final decision is announced and also because the review process has begun but the UCM leaders made it very clear that the agitation will continue until the extension is totally revoked, informed the UCM leaders.
During the meeting with the PM which was also attended by the Home Minister, Home secretary and other high ranking officials, the UCM team made it clear that the people will not budge an inch from their stand against any move to compromise with the territorial integrity of Manipur.
The UCM delegate also told the Central leaders in no uncertain terms that the Home Minister should be held responsible for the deaths, destructions and the torching of numerous Government buildings, including the Assembly Secretariat and political party offices in the agitation against the ceasefire extension.
The PM said the decision to extend the ceasefire to other states was not the sole decision of the Home Minister but was a collective decision of the NDA.
As such he pleaded with the UCM delegates not to hold any grudges against the Home Minister.
The UCM leaders stressed that the boundary of Manipur which has a 2000 year old history as a distinct entity should not be compromised with at any cost.