UNLF dwells on major issues on 43rd B�dayII
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 24: Stressing on the need to accelerate the national struggle, UNLF said the first step is to bring about sincere unity among all having similar views on fundamental national issues and fighting together against the colonial rule.

This is the voice of the people as well, UNLF said in its annual statement, while explaining that without sincerity having similar views and stand on basic issues is not enough to work together.

Therefore, parties having similar views should take a sincere and firm stand to fight together against India and maintain reasonable flexibility on party interests in the larger interest of the national struggle.

It is this ideal which led to the formation of the MPLF, a united front of PREPAK-RPF-UNLF.

Unfortunately, the MPLF remains an incomplete experience, the annual statement conceded, adding that this has dampened the new-found hope and trust of the people in the MPLF, rather the national struggle.

Naturally, the general public wants to know reason why the parties have failed to closely work together and our parties owe an answer to the people, the UNLF said.

A UNLF cadre ploughs the field to supplement food requirement of the UG group�s cadres

Now, though PREPAK-KYKL-UNLF have begun to work together in some areas, there is still the need to take strong collective steps in fighting against colonial rule, and on major social issues as well, it observed.

It also emphasised that sincere appreciation on necessity to take collective measures for resolving internal contradictions of a fraternal party is equally important as such matter have the propensity to become fratricidal conflicts.

UNLF also highlighted the bounden collective duty of the parties to remove impediments holding back the accelerating of the National liberation struggle.

As to the identification of the National struggle with the struggle for existence of the people, the annual statement said the UNLF line is to take concrete steps to practically expose the tightening noose of the colonial rule on day-to-day existence of the people.

UNLF firmly believes that this should be created by a socio-economic campaign to build an essential self-reliant economy on basic items for survival.

In fact, this is a part of the overall revolutionary strategy of the UNLF, it said.

Explaining the ideological line of the UNLF in this regard, the annual statement said that the ultimate goal of the national liberation struggle is not just restoration of sovereignty and independence, but to attain the logical and inseparable goal of socialism wherein a wholesome national life of all the ethnic groups of Manipur would become a reality.

This basic pre-condition for the victory of this revolutionary struggle is people�s faith in the said goal and their participation in the struggle.

In the first stage of the revolution, all the ethnic groups will be liberated not only from colonial bondage but also from the outdated remnants of feudal relations along with the liberation of Manipur from colonial occupation and will bring all the ethnic groups of Manipur together to build a new, united, democratic country having autonomy at all levels and respecting one another�s distinct identities under the guiding slogan of Co-existence and Co-development, UNLF said, and added that this is the basic political line of UNLF.

Maintaining that the first and foremost task of a sovereign and independent country is to build an essential self-reliant economy, the outfit said that in the present situation, the question arises as to whether we should wait for independence to be restored, or, is it not possible to start building our economy, according to our programme, even during the national struggle.

UNLF believes that it is possible, and should be possible.

This is a policy line determined by the dialectical relation between our national struggle and colonial rule.

However, in view of the existing repressive colonial situation, the building of Manipur�s self-reliant economy should of necessity pass through two main stages.

First, measures to be taken during the process of the National struggle main objective to lay the foundation for a self-reliant economy taking maximum advantage from India and also utilise own resources prudently.

Second, measures to be taken after restoration of sovereignty and independence take up comprehensive economic development programme.

This apparently paradoxical, but inherently linked together, approach of laying the foundation of our selfreliant economy during the process of the liberation struggle itself needs to be propagated as the very struggle for existence of our people.

Presenting an outline of the salient features of its National Economic Policy, UNLF said �Manipur� being an agricultural country decides that the logical basis of economic development should also be agriculture.

Though the budget allocation for agriculture under the colonial dispensation may be handsome, there has been no planned development of this sector because of lack of direction and massive corruption, in short, because of the systematic failure.

Under the circumstances, in a captive market economy, the masses of our peasants are losing the day-to-day struggle for existence.

As such, development of agriculture, according to out own programme, shall have to be the thrust of laying he foundation of our self-reliant economy during the liberation struggle.

The first and foremost objective of this programme shall be self-sufficiency in food.

To attain this objective, the UNLF shall embark on a widespread campaign to increase agricultural production by motivating the peasants.

In this campaign, the UNLF shall endeavour to modernise the Agricultural sector with the latest knowledge of Science and Technology adapted to the specific needs of our socio-economic situation.

However, the process of modernisation shall in no case displace wage-earner peasants from their livelihood.

That means the use of new technology and machineries shall maintain a balance with the available human resources.

This measure, besides, attaining self sufficiency in food grains in a few years time will have some surplus as well which can be shared with neighbouring States like Mizoram and Nagaland, where there is food deficit because of natural constraints in agricultural productions, the UNLF said, adding that this will also strengthen the inter-dependent co-existence among the States in the region.

Above all, self sufficiency in food shall liberate the mind of the people from the prevailing Indian-injected dependent psychology of �Can we survive when separated from India ?� That is, when the condition of imposed dependency of food grains on India is removed people will find their own bearing for the future.

This will be a big step forward in the liberation struggle.

Therefore, the responsibility of the peasants in the movement for self sufficiency in food is obviously the biggest of all.

This is in fact the responsibility of liberating our society, our country from colonial bondage.

In short, our peasants are the main force in liberating our Motherland from colonial occupation, the UNLF said while appealing to all the peasants to launch a new patriotic movement to increase food production to the maximum possible.