The final agreement – a mere mistake will distort the peaceful coexistence in the state
- Imphal Times Editorial :: November 01 2019 -

Life in Manipur has been put to a complete stand still, as almost all communities of the state waited what would happen tomorrow.

A mere mistake while signing the so call final agreement between the interlocutor of Government of India R.N. Ravi and the Naga National Political Groups along with the NSCN-IM, which probably is likely to take place today have the tendency to put the entire region into flames.

Almost all ethnic communities of the state – no matters they belong under the umbrella of Naga or under the Kukis or the Meetei or Meetei pangal, each and every-one of them are panic.

A mere mistake in the signing that is happening today will surely distort the peaceful coexistence in the region as fear factor of unwanted incident is expected even as there has never been any communal enmity among the various ethnic group.

On the apprehension of distorting the peaceful coexistence in the state which is likely to be a fall out of the final settlement, life has been put to a complete stand still.

People irrespective of which community they belongs are seen sitting at almost all places with placards and banners warning the India government of unwanted consequences, if any agreement to appease the NSCN-IM is signed in the so call final settlement.

Quite for sometimes people have stopped worrying, as the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Amit Shah had assured that no boundary of the state of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will be affected while solving the problem.

However, a likely segregation of the state administration which has been reported agreed between RN Ravi and the NSCN-IM collective leadership has once again alerted the people of the state.

The main thing which people of the state has been opposing is the creation of a territorial council for the Nagas of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

When it is known to the government of India that already there are Autonomous district Council existed in all the hill districts of the state and when the government of India already know that the Hill areas are given separate autonomy under the article 371 C of the Indian Constitution, one wonder on the kind of autonomy by creating a Territorial Council for Nagas of Manipur.

This has been opposed by all communities of Manipur as there are no distinctive hill areas which are inhabited by Nagas alone. There are many Kuki people, Nepali people and also Meitei people settled at many hill areas and creation of a separate Territorial council on ethnic based will be none other than setting the hill under fire.

The idea of a Pan Naga Cultural Body is acceptable but without incorporating the Article 371 A of the Indian Constitution.

Any measures or agreement to extend the provision of Article 371 A to all Naga inhabited area will amount to not only violation of the Constitution of India but will ignite a fierce uprising from the people of the state.

Now a report appeared at a National media about RN Ravi agreeing the demand for Greater Nagaland by the NSCN-IM is the worst mistake that the government of India is going to commit.

The people across the state has witnessed additional paramilitary troop being sent in the state and this create fear psychosis to all the people of the state.

There is a possibility that Government grants a separate Naga administered land directly control by the center even though the boundary of the state of Manipur is kept undisturbed.

And as RN Ravi fails to define the concept of Greater Nagaland clearly to the people , he will be the first bureaucrat who was appointed as the governor of a state who defy the promise of prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Because Greater Nagaland is the demand for a separate state of the NSCN-IM to be created by curbing out portion of land from Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

When the cease fire between the NSCN-IM and India was extended to the state of Manipur all form of administration or existence of government cease as there was a mass uprising.

18 plus people sacrificed.

The state Assembly, political party offices, MLAs official quarters and some government offices were burnt just because people felt that extension of cease fire to the state of Manipur was equivalent to granting of a state for the rebel group by curbing out some territory of Manipur.

Imagine if the government of India Grant Greater Nagalim , what will be the condition of the state of Manipur.