IMPHAL, February 6: The state government will provide all possible help in bringing a solution to the India-NSCN (IM) peace talk, however it cannot allow it to affect the territorial integrity of Manipur and concede to the Alternative Arrangement demand of the United Naga Council.
This was said by state Chief Minister during a press conference at his conference hall soon after arriving in the state capital from New Delhi.
The conference was also attended by the Dy Chief Minister and Kakching MLA Y Surchandra Singh.
The CM elaborated that the ongoing GoI and NSCN (IM) was one of the reason for his recent stay at the national capital and added that he led a team including the Dy CM and some of his colleagues to a meeting with the Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
Both the Government of India and the Manipur government want peace and love among the North Eastern states of the country and as such, the Manipur government will provide all possible help in order to bring peace in neighbouring Nagaland, he said.
The team had expressed to the Union Home Minister that the Indo-Naga peace talk is not a tri-partite talk since Manipur is not a part of the talk, however the NSCN (IM) cadres are like brothers and sisters with many of the outfit’s cadres born in Manipur and if the solution will not affect the interest of the people of Manipur and the territorial integrity of the state then the government is ever ready to provide all possible help, the CM said.
He continued that the team had further apprised the Union Home Minister to provide a full written text of the necessary steps to be taken up by the state so that the state government could take a resolution on the issue with the people of the state.
However, the Government of India is yet to provide a black and white paper on the conditions to the Manipur government as of now, he continued.
Replying to a media query on the Alternative Arrangement issue, the CM said the government cannot agree to the Alternative Arrangement demand made by the UNC, however the government will discuss if the Manipur Village Authority Act and District Council Act, 1971 which are implemented in the state could be amended to be more effective.
He also added that the decentralization of administrative and financial powers to the Autonomous District Council will be effected soon.
He also said that the recent visit of a team of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee led by SC Jamir to the state was to ask for moral and physical support to a solution to the Indo-Naga peace talk which had been speculated before the ensuing election in Nagaland.
However, since the dates for the election has already been announced that had not been possible, he added.
