Imphal, October 10: Reminding that 56 years of Indian rule in the erstwhile kingdoms of Kamotapur, Manipur and Tripura has been completed, the Kamotapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF) and Tripura People's Democratic Front (TPDF) have called upon all the fraternal peoples and revolutionary organisations of the region to strengthen their traditio-nal brotherhood and fight together to free the people from India's grip.

A joint statement issued by KLO, MPLF and TPDF reaffirmed their resolve and determination to regain the lost sovereignty of the respective States.

Quoting the UN Charter, it noted that sovereign independence was a nation's fundamental right.

As such, use of any form of struggle including armed struggle to achieve or restore this national right is justified under international law, it asserted.

Ever since the illegal annexations, the Government of India has been deliberately pursuing a policy of complete Indianisation of the three States in the region by adopting several measures to make indigenous peoples minorities in their own lands.

Such diabolic conspiracy to Indianise the whole region is the gravest threat to the indigenous people, remarked the joint statement.

After the merger of Kamotapur in January 1951 with West Bengal, the Kamotapuris were renduced to a minority among the Bengalis.

Similarly, the Tripuris who constituted 84 percent of the total population at the time of the annexation have been trimmed to just 30 percent with the influx of Bengalis after the merger with the Indian Union.

Likewise, in Manipur foreign refugees having ethnic affinity with mainland Indians have been resettled in fertile areas of the Manipur valley thereby severely altering the demographic picture and breeding chronic racial, cultural, social, economic and political conflicts, highlighted the joint statement.

In addition to the Indian colonial policy of population overflooding, the Government of India is deliberately indulging in the time tested policy of 'divide and rule' which they have refined as 'divide and destroy' to negate the liberation struggles of the region by exploiting the multi-ethnic demographic constitution of the region under the well cloaked rhetoric of democracy.

The joint statement, however maintained that this is just a temporary phenomenon in the historic development of the region towards ethnic harmony and unity.

Asserting national struggles with correct political line and policies have made significant progress despite India's all out efforts to suppress national liberation struggles in the region, it observed that there is still a long way to achieve the goal of sovereignty and independence.

The statement conveyed their firm belief that despite temporary setbacks caused by Indian 'divide and destroy' policy and lack of practical unity among the liberation forces, the Indian colonial rule is destined to be ultimately overthrown from the region.

The joint statement of KLO, MPLF and TPDF concluded with a call to build up unity through relentless struggle.

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