Gearing up for Oct 31 rally : Apprehension hangs heavy
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 15 2018 -

Now that the MU impasse has been addressed to a certain extent, Manipur can look forward to other issues which are knocking at her doors.

First is obviously the ongoing political negotiations between New Delhi and the NSCN (IM) and it is in line with this that a mass rally has been lined up on October 31 under the aegis of the United Committee, Manipur.

After the Framework Agreement was signed between New Delhi and the NSCN (IM) on August 3, 2015, the air has been thick with apprehension on what the final outcome of the peace talks will be and not without a reason.

The highly secretive nature of the pact has only added to the air of apprehension and with New Delhi assuring on more than one occasion that the territorial integrity of Manipur would not be compromised under any circumstances, talks of granting some sort of any autonomy under certain provisions of the Constitution like Article 371A have been doing the round.

This line of thought gained traction after Interlocutor to the peace talks, RN Ravi reportedly divulged to the Joint Parliamentary Committee that such a model may be extended to certain parts of the State.

So from territorial integrity of the State, the focus now has shifted to saying a big no to any sort of a double administrative set up where autonomy may be granted to some parts of the State, bypassing the State Government.

It is this which the Congress had picked out in a big way and organised a series of meeting to galvanise public opinion in different parts of the State.

The air is thick with apprehension, there is no doubt about it and it is under this that the mega rally is being planned to be taken out on October 31.

After more than 20 years the air of suspicion and the seeming threat over the existence of Manipur as a geo-political reality continues to be tested.

It was on August 4, 1997 that AMUCO organised one of the biggest rallies in the recent history of the State to stand by the territorial integrity of the State.

Since then territorial integrity of Manipur had become the slogan of the people of Manipur, barring the Nagas of Manipur.

Forward to 2001, and the world witnessed the June 18 uprising when the phrase ‘ceasefire without territorial limits’ was inserted in the cease fire pact between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India.

Everybody who experienced those days first hand will still recall June 14 when the ceasefire extension was announced now known as the Bangkok Declaration.

The three days bandh called in Manipur against the ceasefire extension and the uprising on June 18, after the bandh was lifted must still be fresh in the minds of those who faced it.

The then State Assembly was razed to the ground and so were the offices of political parties.

All major roads littered with broken shards of glasses, bonfires lit on the middle of the road all symbolised the people’s opposition to the ceasefire extension to the soil of Manipur and this in effect underlined the stand of the people against any design to compromise with the identity of Manipur as a geo-political reality.

Now fast forward to 2018 and the same apprehension continues to hang heavy over the heads of everyone in Manipur.

It is under this climate of apprehension that the UCM organised rally will march forth on October 31.