People participating in the rally called by the UNC in Tamenglong district headquarter on August 9.
Newmai News Network
Imphal | August 9
A massive rally was organised by the Naga tribals in Manipur on Wednesday demanding resolution of the decades-old Naga political issue based on the Framework Agreement, signed between the Central government and the NSCN-IM on August 3, 2015.
Organised by the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of the Nagas in Manipur, the huge rally was held simultaneously in Manipur’s four Naga-dominated districts - Tamenglong, Chandel, Ukhrul, and Senapati, which are along the Nagaland and Myanmar borders.
The rallies were held between 10 am and 12:30 pm. Shops and other establishments closed their respective operations during the rallies. The rallies were peaceful.
In each of the four district headquarters, thousands of people came out to participate in the rallies. Similar placards were displayed in all the four places where rallies were held. Some of the placards read “Naga flag, constitution and integration are inalienable rights of the Naga people,” “Respect Naga historical and political rights,” “Indian leaders must walk the talk,” “Implement Framework Agreement,” “Government of India must stop playing divisive politics,” “No solution, no rest,” “No to imposed solution” etc., etc.
After the rallies, a joint memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was submitted to the respective deputy commissioners. The memorandum was jointly signed by UNC president Ng. Lorho, UNC general secretary Vareiyo Shatsang, Naga Women Union (NWU) president Asha Wungnam, general secretary Changwiliu Newmai, All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) president Luikang Luckson, general secretary, Angteshang Maring and Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights-South sector (NPMHR-S) convenor, Joyson Mazamo.
The joint memorandum said, “In the propitious rallies held today in the Naga district headquarters of Chandel, Tamenglong, Ukhrul and Senapati, under the aegis of the United Naga Council, the Naga people in the present state of Manipur wish to register once again our collective sentiment and earnest desire to the Government of India for exercising its political will to conclude the protracted negotiation on Indo-Naga political issue in the true spirit of August 3, 2015, Framework Agreement between Government of India (GoI) and National Socialist Council of Nagalim(NSCN).”
It also said, “The United Naga Council, the apex organization of the Naga people in Manipur, encompassing 20 Naga tribes reiterates our uncompromising political aspirations and strong desire for translation of the Framework Agreement into political reality for enduring peace.”
The joint memorandum also said the signing of the Framework Agreement is well past eight years and “we are aware that it has run into a stalemate on interpretation and accommodation of the principal issues of flag and constitution which has been envisaged and implied in the Framework Agreement”.
“We, therefore, call upon the Government of India to honour the Framework Agreement in letter and spirit by accepting the universal fact that Sovereignty lies with people and by extension, that the Naga National flag and Constitution must be an integral part of the shared sovereignty,” it added.
The memorandum then said the Naga people will not accept disintegration of “Naga land” or any act that will adversely affect the interest of the Naga people while attempting to address demands of any other community. “We can only state that such misadventures will have serious ramifications that will provoke further senseless violence with different communities. However, we wish to make it clear that any other community living in the Naga ancestral homeland will not be left out of the final settlement in consonance with the mutually agreed upon competencies,” it added.
