Imphal, Jun 16: Former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Rishang Keishing today said there is many a slip between the assurances given by Union Home Minister LK Advani that the territorial boundary of Manipur would not be disturbed and the extension of the Indo-Naga cease fire to the soil of Manipur.

He bluntly asked, "what do the Centre hope to gain by extending the cease fire to Manipur and at the same time maintaining that the territorial boundary of the State will not be disturbed ?" Speaking to The Sangai Express at his Mantripukhri residence today, the lone Congress MLA said the decision of the BJP led NDA Government to extend the cease fire by taking into account the view of a single entity cannot be above board.

Keishing further said the tension of the cease fire coverage beyond the boundary of Nagaland by the Centre smacks of a hidden agenda to dismantle the territorial boundary of the State adding this does not augur well for anybody.

He said Manipur is home to at least thirty different communities unlike Nagaland which is a State created for the Nagas alone.

Going into history, Keishing said Nagaland was a district of Assam in 1948.At that particular time Manipur was a princely State ruled by a King, he informed.

He added the Centre should not do anything to disturb the age old territorial boundaries of the State.

The veteran Congress wondered what the Centre has to gain by sowing seeds of discord and animosity amongst the various communities living in the State.

Keishing said he certainly welcomes the peace process between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India but added creation of a Greater Nagaland as a result of the peace process is highly unlikely.

If the Centre is to be pressurized to revoke the cease fire extension then it is important that all come together as one and chalk out peaceful strategies to counter the move of the Centre, said Keishing.

He said violence and gore will not bring anything positive.

He said the State political leaders should exert enough pressure on the Centre so that the issue may be debated on the floor of Parliament.

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