Imphal, February 12, 2010: The proscribed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) has virtually put its feet down on the senior citizens' call for peace talks between the various insurgent outfits of Manipur and the Government of India with a hard-hitting reply issued yesterday.

Indirectly comparing the leaders of Senior Citizens for Society (SCS), Manipur such as its president N Binoy and Khaidem Mani with children whose intelligence is immature, GM Changjou, Chief of Department of Publicity, RPF, stated in a press release that it's the maturity of the intellectual faculty of a person that determines the status of being a child or an adult.

Even though a number of years old, if the intellectual faculty of a person remains immature, the person is said to be childish, the press release stated.

It cautioned that the so-called president of SCS N Binoy and representative Khaidem Mani may start to be extra careful in this regard.

They shouldn't simply speak up on the question of political freedom and national sovereignty of the people of Manipur.

It's a serious question which involves life or death of the people and which will determine the fate of the posterity of Manipur, the RPF stated.

Therefore, a body called Senior Citizens for Society just expressing several things in a hurry before knowing the sentiments of the people and before acquiring people's consent shows that they want to sway the people while nurturing a thought that they don't know anything, the press release stated, and cautioned that it's where the time has come for them to be on the alert.

The RPF recalled that in the past too, there had been an incident in which a Governor of Manipur had tried to entrap parents of members belonging to various insurgent organisations by forming a so-called Parents' Association.

But then the Parents' Association retreated, realising their wrong steps.

The programme of the GOI had failed and the Parents' Association got dissolved by itself.

The press release stated, what N Binoy said "in order to protect the integrity of India and to maintain unity and solidarity" is a statement to be pondered over.

"Manipur had been a sovereign and independent country since time immemorial.

Though the British had occupied Manipur for a specific period, they handed over her independence to King Bodhachandra before they left.

Having adopted the Manipur State Constitution Act 1947, election was held under it and Manipur State Assembly (Parliament) was established by people's elected representatives".

"It was prior to the Indian Constitution being adopted, and before India became a republic.

Besides, Manipur was never a part of the then British India.

Manipur was forcibly annexed by India on the 15th October, 1949.Therefore, Manipur ought not to be a part of Indian Union.

Manipur got the present state of affairs after having remained dependent on India for 60 years.

Considering these facts deeply, what more can the people of Manipur expect?" the press release asked.

It further contended that there's no such thing as peace talk cannot be held at all, but the question is when and under what conditions could peace talk be held.

A political situation needs to be created for holding peace talk.

For RPF, there's no such stand as that peace talk cannot be held with the GOI.

However, if the GOI sincerely assures and starts showing by action that Manipur's sovereignty will be returned and that all the government machinery established and all troops stationed in Manipur will be withdrawn, then peace talk may be held, the press release maintained.

It described what Khaidem Mani had said that "insurgency is the mother of all problems of Manipur" as wrong.

Saying that the mother of all problems of Manipur is "the forcible annexation of Manipur by India" would be more apt.

This is the very root cause of the political contradiction prevailing between Manipur and the GOI, it said.

The press release further pointed out that it is because there is no real responsible government of the people in Manipur that all these killings, acts of violation of human rights, economically dependent, ever increasing availability and abuse of drugs and narcotic substances, ever rising unemployment problem and number of poor people who can not afford to make both ends meet even while working so hard, endless influx of refugees (migrants) from outside into Manipur, degradation of social norms, disturbances in academic atmosphere, slow down in development, etc.

are happening in Manipur.

The press release argued that the present government of Manipur is a puppet government forcibly installed to carry out the orders of the Government of India.

It is a government that's finished when the Centre doesn't want it to continue any longer.

The RPF further said that it is a government formed by those representatives said to be elected by the majority of the people of constituencies after having been divided for a number of political parties.

That too, a government formed by so-called representatives forcibly elected in election protected by Indian security forces and state forces like the fort.

The press release stated that the Indian election has polluted the people's morality in the society so badly.

It has created enmity amongst blood brothers, parents and kith and kin.

It has divided the people and caused fraternal killings among the people.

Money, properties, land, etc.

are wagered as bets on a candidate's being elected or unelected.

Trend of distributing drugs and alcohol and money has emerged to prevail.

Therefore, the representatives elected under the Indian Constitution are not the true representatives of the people.

The administration formed by them is not an administration formed for the poor and weak classes, the press release stated.

It finally contended that only when the people can stand on their own and the national sovereignty can be completely restored, there will be complete peace and normalcy in Manipur.

As such, the Government of India ought to honestly withdraw the political misadventure imposed on the people of Manipur, it asserted.

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