Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 13 2010:
Exhorting the people to boycott the 'Manipur Merger Agreement' signed on October 15, 1949, the proscribed RPF in a statement said today that it has been established beyond doubt that it was not a Merger Agreement but Annexation of Manipur by India.
Passing strictures, the outfit said that other those engaged in essential services, media, the sick and ailing and religious matters, the RPF has urged the people not to organise any event on October 15, which has been observed as Black Day for the past many years.
Manipur, which was once an independent, strong and prosperous kingdom in South East Asia, is today reduced to the status of an alms seeker.
In every aspect, Manipur is lagging behind others and there is no sign that things will improve, said the outfit and added that the all pervasive divide and rule policy, the highway politics, artificial floods, the exploitation of the poor by the rich and powerful are the fruits of the alien rule.
How long can the people of Manipur survive in such a condition, asked the outfit and added that today, the present generation has started questioning and analysing that point in history when the place was gripped by fratricidal killings which ultimately gave way for the intruders to subjugate Manipur.
Today's incident is tomorrow's history, said RPF and added that it is time for all to seriously ponder how the future generations will view and understand the present generation.
The brave and courageous forefathers of the land, ensured that they left a legacy to be proud of, said the statement and added that sovereignty is what will decide the fate of the people as a whole.
If the aspiration of sovereignty is not achieved, then it can be safely concluded that the existence of the Manipuri people will one day be erased from the history of humanity.
India as a country was formed between 1940 and 1950, said RPF and added that in the effort to give birth to a Nation called India, many other independent entities were also annexed just like Manipur.
The armed movement spread across India is a standing testimony of this fact.
Exhorting the people to rise as one, the outfit said that the time has come for one and all to raise the banner of freedom and fight for what rightfully belongs to the people of Manipur.