Original Source: The Imphal Free Press
Sir,
Recently, the CM of Nagaland came to Senapati in Manipur to inaugurate the launch of his party office in the aforesaid place. He came, inaugurated and went back. But prior to his visit, there was much hue and cry over his visit or rather a point in the constitution of his NPF party. There was much deliberation on our CM’s part over the ‘vile’ point and thus was presumed that it will lead to the disintegration of the present state boundary and hence the CM of Nagaland should be disallowed to enter the boundaries of Manipur. Tensions ran high among the peoples of Manipur and the CM sent contingents of armed police and commandos to the border town of Mao. I believe that (I could be wrong here) the Home Minister of GOI gave him a dressing down and thus the CM of Nagaland was allowed to proceed to Senapati. No untoward incident happened and the entire incident fizzled out without a whimper.
I believe that our CM over-reacted in a very childish manner and there was much ado about nothing. Just because the NPF’s constitution has a point stating about a ‘Greater Nagaland’ doesn’t mean that it has to so. The re-drawing of a state’s boundaries is the job of the Central Government.
Another incident is about the visit of T Muivah. Our CM over-reacted and sent the Manipur constabulary to Mao. During the face-off between Muivah & Co. and Ibobi Government, two innocent persons lost their lives. Just because the NSCN(IM) wants ‘Nagalim’ doesn’t mean that it has to so. The NSCN(IM) will have to deal with the Centre to redraw Manipur’s map. Redrawing of any state’s boundaries is not a state subject. Ibobi had his way just because there are legal cases against T Muivah and since l&o is a state subject, GOI HM could not legally prevail upon Ibobi.
There is a third incident which I would like to mention beforehand that this will not make me win the ‘popularity contest’. This is about the June 18 incident. The GOI wanted to come to a agreement with the NSCN(IM) to have a cease-fire ‘without territorial limits’. It was just this three little words which made the Meiteis of Manipur over-react. We Meiteis got angry without any limits (pun intended) and the crowd started breaking and burning public properties. In the police crackdown, many innocent lives were lost. Let us face facts. At the ground level, there is cease fire in Manipur with NSCN(IM) as the security forces do not have any armed clashes with NSCN(IM). We don’t get to read/hear that the security forces encountering the NSCN(IM). So, what was the objection to that three little teeny words all about.
Yours faithfully
Pritam Haobam