Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 06, 2010:
Taking serious note of the persisting demand of NSCN(IM) for a greater Nagaland, the United Committee Manipur (UCM) has demanded transparency regarding what transpired during the ongoing political dialogue between the Government of India and NSCN (IM), particularly in matters/agenda related to Manipur.
A statement issued by the UCM urged upon the State Government to take up appropriate measures and convey its stance to New Delhi in time so that relationship among different ethnic groups of the State does not get strained.
For any matter/agenda that is of concern to Manipur, due consensus should be sought from the people of Manipur, it asserted.
Welcoming all initiatives taken up to bring peace in Nagaland as well as prayer session and rallies organised by Naga people towards this end, the UCM conveyed wish that a dignified solution is achieved.
However, the UCM will fight back in a befitting manner in case the issue of Naga integration is taken up as the foremost agenda challenging the integrity of Northeastern States.
Claiming that people of Manipur put no confidence in the alleged double-standard nature of the Government of India, the UCM recalled that representatives of New Delhi spoke one thing in Manipur and something else totally contradictory in Nagaland.
The people of Manipur has neither reservation nor objection to granting sovereignty or greater autonomy or larger economic package to Nagaland.
But what is pertinent here for both the Government of India and NSCN (IM) is to recall the mass uprising of June 18, 2001 which later came to be known as the Great June Uprising Day.
The spontaneous and massive people's eruption was caused by the NSCN(IM)'s experiment of inserting the words 'without territorial limit' in ceasefire extension agreement in a bid to push ahead their dream of forming a greater Nagaland of 1,20,000 sq kms from the present Nagaland's geographical area of just 16,579 sq kms by annexing parts of Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Myanmar.
Pointing out that the design of NSCN (IM) and New Delhi was defeated by the collective strength of the people, the UCM asserted that the strength of the people has not diminished a bit since then.
Recalling those incidents where the Chief Minister smiled back when he was received at Senapati with a festoon painted with the words 'welcome to South Nagaland' and the recent incident of inscribing the name of GPRN Kilonser together with names of Cabinet Ministers on the plaque of a memorial stone, the UCM questioned the credibility of the State Government's assurance not on make any compromise on the question of territorial integrity.
It further asked the State Government to be vigilant on the ongoing dialogue between New Delhi and NSCN (IM) .