NEW DELHI, February 23 (Vision Communications): The Centre is all set to constitute a high level committee in the next ten days-time with the mandate to study in details the demand for “Alternative Arrangements for the Nagas within Manipur” and recommend practical measures to settle the issue.
The demand was made by the United Naga Council of Manipur which has been asking for “executive, financial and judicial power” for the Nagas within Manipur as the UNC claimed “it is impossible to live and grow together with the communal government of Manipur.”
In an exclusive interview with the Vision Communications, MHA joint secretary Shambhu Singh observed, “forming a committee is not always very easy. One has to take UNC’s requirements into consideration. Also we have so many other tribal groups in Manipur. If we try to address issues pertaining to only one group, other groups will be bound to complain. We are in the process of consultation as to in what form this committee should be, so that one group’s solution does not become a problem for another group. It is a whole gamut of issues which is to be looked into.”
On the possible members of the proposed committee, Singh said that mainly economist, sociologist, people from some other discipline will be appointed as committee members to fulfil this important assignment.
This committee definitely will have some kind of political representation from Manipur. MHA will also include its representative in the proposed committee, Shambhu Singh added.
He confirmed that during his Imphal visit last week, he had discussed in details constitution of the proposed committee with the chief minister Ibobi Singh and others. After consultations with some other people, “we will announce the committee in the next ten days-time,” Singh disclosed.
Meanwhile a four-member delegation of the UNC headed by its president L Adani and general secretary Gaidon Kamei met the MHA joint secretary Shambhu Singh on February 20, in his chamber in the North Block and discussed the constitution of the proposed committee.
Later talking to Vision Communications, Adani expressed his satisfaction over the Centre’s initiative on the proposed formation of a high level committee to “translate our demand for an Alternative Arrangements for the Nagas within Manipur into a political reality.”
Adani further said that “during the seventh round of tripartite talks on February 6, UNC proposed to set up a committee to go into “our demand, suggest steps and subsequently execute it. The Centre has accepted our demand. The formation of a committee is a confirmation of the recognition of issues that we have raised. And if we are to be engaged in this process sincerely and seriously, definitely it will lead to a logical conclusion. We don’t want any cosmetic treatment.”
Adani further highlighted, “we are not communal and we are not against development. But we have certain issues and we want those to be resolved. Till such time, our agitational programme will be kept in abeyance.”
Manipur government, on the other hand, expressed its serious reservation over the demand for an “Alternative Arrangements” raised by the UNC. In the last round of tripartite meeting held in Senapati, Manipur Industry minister Govind Das who was leading the state government delegation voiced his concern and said, “We have 33 different tribes in the state. We can’t think a special arrangement for one particular tribe and sideline others. We have to take a holistic approach which our government is doing keeping the best interest of every group in mind. So let the Centre decide how to proceed over the issue.”