MPLF boycotts Patil's visit, 40 hrs strike from midnight today
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 08 2011: The Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF) has declared that it would boycott the President of India Pratibha Patil's visit to Manipur, conveyed a press release issued by the MPLF Permanent Body.

The MPLF is the umbrella organisation of the RPF, PREPAK and UNLF.

Towards this end a 40 hour general strike will come into effect from midnight of March 9 .

The scheduled visit of the Indian President is aimed at deceiving the international community that Manipur is a part of India, and also to hoodwink the people of Manipur that the Government of India has been generously funding and undertaking various development programmes in Manipur, MPLF asserted.

In the last more than 60 years since Manipur was allegedly annexed by India, the people of Manipur received nothing except threats and harassments at the hands of security forces.

The Government of India has given a free hand to its security forces to kill and commit violence against the people by imposing the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for more than 55 years.

Even though the Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee constituted by the Indian Government recommended that AFSPA was a black law and should be repealed, New Delhi has done nothing to scrap the inhuman Act.

People have nothing to expect from the Indian President's visit.

Indian leaders never tried and would never try to understand what the people of Manipur feel and aspire.

They did not have any ears to listen to the people's voice "we don't want to live under the alien rule, we want independence", the outfit demanded.

Indian leaders who visit Manipur from time to time never did anything substantial except for repairing some dilapidated roads and bridges or laying foundation stones of some buildings.

While the Government of India has been apparently working for development of Manipur, it has been secretly pursuing a policy of completely assimilating the indigenous people with the mainland Indians by steadily diluting the distinct identity of the former.

The scheduled visit of the Indian President is a continuation of this sinister policy and is aimed at consolidating the alien rule in Manipur.

Hence, the MPLF has decided to boycott the two-day visit of the Indian President.

Moreover, a 40 hours general strike would be imposed all over the State with effect from March 9 midnight till 4 pm of March 11, the outfit declared.

During the general strike, no one should venture out nor should there be any vehicular movement.

All entertainment programmes including cinema shows and business activities should be suspended.

However, media, medical service and religious functions would be exempted from the purview of the general strike.

It further called upon the people to support the boycott call as well as the general strike being called against the Indian President's visit.

Boycott of visiting dignitaries has been the norm ever since the guns starting booming.

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