Revolution will continue unless India departs : RPF chief-I
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 24: Making the stand of the Revolutionary Peoples' Front clear, its president Irengbam Chaoren today asserted that the revolutionary struggle in Manipur will never end until India departs or is forced to depart.

Sharing the outfit's thoughts and ideologies with the people on the occasion of the 29th Raising Day of the PLA, the armed wing of the RPF, which falls on September 25, the RPF president said that if India wants peace in Manipur as well as maintain a long lasting relationship, then they should bring their rule in Manipur to an end.

PLA cadres pose with their arms on the occasion of their 29th anniversary day somewhere at their base camp

Touching on a vast range of issues, Chaoren said that though Manipur has been under India for the last 58 years, she still refuses to acknowledge that Manipur was once an independent country which was annexed by Delhi.

Instead of recognising this fact, India has been using democracy as a tool to draw the people of Manipur into its fold and the election process in Manipur is nothing but an attempt to show that Manipur is a part of India, said the RPF leader.

"However Indian democracy and its election cannot be the real democracy and real election for Manipur," observed Chaoren and added that those who are wielding power in Manipur today through the Indian election process are doing so as representatives of India.

Asserting that those wielding power in Manipur should be responsible for the suffering of the people, the RPF leader said that the development plank is being used to entice the people to strengthen Indian rule.

However India which itself is home to more than forty percent of the world's poor can never make Manipur fully developed with her money, he asserted.

"It can even be said that the little amount of money which is being sanctioned to Manipur is presently is because of the revolutionary activities.", claimed Chaoren.

Slamming India for its double talk, Chaoren said that peaceful negotiation through dialogue is a term bandied by Delhi but at the same time they have been using their military force to suppress the movement.

ndia is under the presumption that the increasing arrests of revolutionaries as well as those being martyred is sign to finish off the revolutionary movement through military might.

However this is not the case, said Chaoren and reminded India that there is no sign that the number of revolutionaries have fallen.

As long as India continues with her rule over Manipur, the number of revolutionaries will continue to increase.

India is under the wrong notion that retirement of revolutionaries from active service is an indicator of the movement going wrong, said the RPF leader and added that the training and revolutionary thoughts inculcated is in a long term perspective.

The number of RPF cadres leading civilian life should not be construed as a decrease in the strength of the outfit, said the RPF chief and added that the ultimate aim of providing them military training is to ready them for the imminent show down in the future.

One day or the other the retired cadres will surely join the revolutionary struggle.

Asserting that the RPF should not be seen in the same light as the other revolutionary organisations, Chaoren said that it has been built with the character of a true revolutionary party.

The fact that the party, in its 28 years of existence has never suffered from any split or factionalism is a clear example of the discipline and mutual trust amongst the cadres of RPF and its army the PLA, said the RPF leader.

Taking these factors into account, RPF is today one of the unassailable revolutionary parties of Manipur.

On the question of all the revolutionary parties coming under one platform and work in unison, Chaoren said that though RPF desires this, it cannot take it for granted that the revolutionary movements in Manipur can be undertaken once a few parties with the same vision come under one platform.
(More tomorrow).