IMPHAL, Dec 5 : The United Naga Council (UNC) has asserted that the ongoing economic blockade and ban on construction of Trans Asian Railways and National projects will continue as the Government of Manipur has miserably failed to honour the letter and spirit of the MoUs and assurance given by the Union Home Ministry.
Explaining its stand, UNC in a statement today said that the Naga people protested five times against the decision of the State Government to upgrade Sadar Hills to the status of a full fledged district and also Jiribam.
All the protests concluded after signing MoUs between the State Government and the Naga people in which it was always mentioned that ‘all the stake holders will be consulted’ before a final decision is taken on granting district status to the two sub-divisions, added UNC.
Stating that land and Nagas are inseparable, UNC said that it is the obligation of every Naga to defend and protect their ancestral homeland and added, ‘we will never allow anyone to decide upon our land.’
To resolve the issue amicably, the Ministry of Home Affairs, through its Joint Secretary (North East) invited the UNC to have a joint meeting with the Government of Manipur on November 15 at New Delhi. The proposed meeting however failed as the State Government did not send its representatives, charged UNC.
It is clear that the Government of Manipur does not want peace but incite communal disharmony amongst all the ethnic communities living in the ‘present State by deliberately creating a situation to divide ethnic communities’, further charged UNC.
It is time the people of Manipur ask the Government why it did not send it representative (s) for the November 15 meeting, said UNC and also to clarify why it has not spoken out its stand on the issue of Sadar Hills and Jiribam.
This demand has also been raised by the Senapati based Naga People’s Organisation.
Keeping mum and deploying thousands of security forces and imposing CrPC 144 ‘just to grab our land will never deter the Naga people in any way,’ asserted the UNC.
Stating that the situation in Manipur has become volatile due to the people’s unrest and the silence of the Government, UNC said that it is time for the Centre to intervene.
If the Government of India fails to intervene, it should be held responsible for any unwanted consequences, warned UNC.
Source: The Sangai Express
