Biased RS MP invited to Naga areas
Dimapur, August 6 (MExN): An exasperated United Naga Council today invited Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat to visit the Naga areas in Manipur to get for herself the real, ground situation the Naga people in Manipur are going through. While inviting her for a reality-check, the UNC has demanded an apology from Karat or be slapped with a suit.
Yesterday, the Telegraph had reported on a vehement CPM MP Brinda Karat standing against the economic blockades by Naga organizations in Manipur with ample statements of what appeared to be completely biased and Manipur-sided.
“We are hopeful that Ms Karat’s statement had been misplaced and therefore would like to invite her to visit to the Hill areas in Manipur and obtain a sample of the prevailing scenario, situation and facts from the spot,” the UNC stated in a rejoinder today. “Although our underdevelopment would not allow us to provide hospitalities befitting her status, we assure her of our humble and warm welcome.”
The UNC said a respectable and veteran leader in the stature of Ms. Bindra Karat had stooped to utter unfounded statements in the Rajya Sabha on August 5. The council reminded that the economic blockade enforced by the All Naga Students’ Association Manipur was temporarily suspended on June 18 in deference to the appeals of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and leader of Opposition. “However, even after a lapse of 47 days, no response for intervention on the grievances of total injustice meted out on the Naga people was forthcoming and therefore the agitation was resumed on 4th August, 2010,” the UNC reminded Ms Karat.
The UNC advised that the tendency to make one sided view on the issue is creating creates more problems instead of addressing the volatile situation. “The projection of the oppressed tribal people as the oppressor and oppressor dominant Meitei as the oppressed is destructively mischievous in design,” the UNC said.
The council also referred to the statement: “…tax imposed by the United Naga Council (UNC) is Rs.30, 000 for truck of medical supplies and Rs.11,000 for a truck of cement.” This statement can reflect three things, the UNC told Karat: “Firstly, her source of information had wanted to make a fool of her before the world, secondly she is genuinely ignorant of what the UNC is and what it stands and thirdly she has purposely constructed this allegation in line with the communal hate campaign propaganda launched by the dominant community with the support of the communal Government of Manipur. Is it possible that Ms Karat could have joined hands with the communal forces in Manipur against the oppressed tribals, in utter disregard of her professed ideology?”
The first two possibilities are “forgivable but are indicative of how ignorant and uninvolved the Law makers in Delhi are about people and issues in the far north east region but yet make statements such as this in the August House based on false information.” The UNC also took exception to Karat’s accusing the UNC as the overground front organisation of the NSCN. “We demand an apology for the same from Ms Karat or clear cut evidence on the allegation and failure to provide the same may invite a defamation suit.”
The UNC has made it clear that “this is a peoples’ movement and will continue till our aspirations are achieved.” “We have nothing to do with the communal dominant Government of Manipur as we have severed our political ties with it and for which reason we have embarked upon securing an alternative arrangement,” it stated.
