New Delhi, January 28 (MExN): Reacting to Manipur Government’s move to declare United Naga Council (UNC) as “unlawful organization”, the Committee for Joint Naga Civil Societies, Delhi (CJNCSD) today questioned whether “the State Government is propounding a new definition of the term ‘unlawful organization’ to facilitate gagging and curbing of dissenting voices at the whims of the State Government.” CJNCSD in a press release issued by its Secretary, Information & Publicity Wing, Sira Kharay asserted that “dissent” and “democratic protest” are not “unlawful” and “UNC by observing peaceful partial suspension of commercial vehicular movements along the National Highway in protest against the most undemocratic formation of seven new districts does not become unlawful.” UNC, CJNCSD clarified, is the customarily mandated apex traditional body of the Nagas in Manipur with a democratic set-up of grass-root level and institutional support, participation and representation from all the Naga tribal bodies and village traditional authorities and thus, the legitimacy and mass-based organizational structure of UNC cannot be put to question. It further affirmed that the Naga people and their “endearing organization” UNC cannot be distinguished and separated as UNC constitutes the Naga people themselves and any move on the part of the State Government to declare UNC as “unlawful” would amount to declaring the entire Naga people as “unlawful”. Meanwhile, the Committee slammed Ibobi led Congress Government’s “relentless attempt to vilify the sacred cause of the Nagas by painting UNC as a terror organization” and vouched that UNC by voicing the interest of the Nagas does not make it a mouthpiece of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM). Reminding that NSCN (IM) is not a “terrorist” or “unlawful” organization within the purview of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, it termed the “hyper-acrimonious stance of Ibobi led Congress Government against NSCN (I-M) in the name of advancing Meitei chauvinism at the cost of Northeast common aspiration for peace in the region” as regrettable.
