The United Naga Council (UNC) is issuing this public statement in response to the reported recommendation of the communal Government of Manipur (GoM) to the Government of India (GoI) for banning of the UNC. Through use of brute dominant force and legitimately established sanctions engineered by the communal GoM over the years, it has become impossible for the Nagas to protect our right to life, land, identity, time honoured institutions, customary practices and values and to live with dignity and honour as a people.
The issue is about the sharp social divide on communal lines created by years and years of suppression, oppression and exploitation by the communal GoM. The only option is the peaceful parting of ways and good neighbourliness. This democratic and legitimate peoples’ movement is being sought to be banned by the communal GoM. We reproduce below a few instances of blatant abuse of power, nexus with extremist groups, criminal conducts, communalism and utter failure in governance of the GoM and bring it to the public domain as to why the GoM should not be banned instead -
1. The Naga aspiration for Integration under one political roof is not anti-national or unconstitutional or illegal as was pronounced in 1972 during the merger of the AICC and the United Naga Integration Council. Yet the GoM has vehemently objected to it with fanatical fervor.
2. The criminals spearheaded by the AMUCO, who burnt the Indian National Flag, Constitution of India, the State Assembly Hall(the temple of Democracy), the official quarters of Naga MLAs and attempted to vandalise the Raj Bhavan in protest against the extension of the Indo-Naga ceasefire beyond territorial limit in 2001 have all been all set free by the GoM by setting up the C. Upendra Commission and legalizing the crime.
3. The GoM opposed the entry of the Naga leader Th. Muivah to his Native place on law and order grounds and created law and order situation at Mao Gate that resulted in the killing of 2 students and wounding of more than hundred peaceful protestors on the 6th May, 2010. The extremely excessive force used by the State forces was approved instead of initiating punitive measures.
4. After O. Ibobi welcomed the plebiscite proposal by the banned UNLF on Sovereignty of Manipur, massive sensitization campaign on the plebiscite was carried in the 4 Imphal valley district with the support of the GoM and under the aegis of the UCM and the Meira Paibis. The Manipur Legislative Assembly deliberated on the 16th March 2011 on how the proposal of a banned organisation can be welcomed by a Chief Minister elected under the Indian constitution.
5. The GoM has been deafeningly silent when valley based civil organisations incited the public to bloodshed and violence should the Manipur Land Reform and Land Revenue Act, 1960 and Manipur State Land Use Board, 1991 be not extended to the hill/tribal areas.
6. The President of Manipur Working Journalists Union, Mr. Mobi Singh was arrested for being a collaborator of the KCP but the said Union was not banned.
7. The United Committee Manipur(UCM) President Mr. Sapamcha Dilip was implicated with one valley underground group but the GoM has done nothing to ban the UCM.
8. Mr. Mangi Singh, Vice President of Manipur Peoples’ Party(MPP) was arrested under NSA for his connection with valley extremists, but GoM has not initiated any action to ban the MPP.
9. MEELAL, a strident communal organisation burned down the state library at Imphal demanding imposition of Meiteilon(Manipuri) language on the tribal students but was left scot free without being banned.
10. Illegal arms were seized from the official quarter at Babupara of sitting MLA, Mr. Bijoy Koijam but he was not arrested.
11. The case of Th. Shyam Kumar, MLA of the Manipur Peoples’ Party, the then Deputy Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly who was arrested and detained in Tihar Jail, Delhi for close association with the valley based extremist group reflects the degree of nexus between the Meitei politicians and the valley extremist groups. MPP was not banned.
12. Mr. Amu Meitei, who was an active member of a valley extremist group and masquerading as the PA to Y. Irabot, Minister Industries of GoM was arrested from the Minister’s residence. No legal action was taken against the Minister concern.
13. The case of donation of Rupees one crore fifty lakhs by O. Ibobi to the PLA, a valley based extremists Group, when Gen. JJ. Singh was the Chief of Army Staff is still fresh in the memory of the public and no action has been initiated in this regard.
14. The details of Ibobi’s close nexus with the valley extremist groups and his wild abuse of power had been furnished to the AICC High Command in detail by Gaikhangam, President MPCCI and Surchandra, MLA, Spokesperson of the then dissident group of the Manipur Congress Party when they were camping in Delhi. However Ibobi continues in office with the blessing of his party High Command.
15. Strong opposition of the GoM to the visit of Mr. Neiphiu Rio, a democratically elected Chief Minister for the launching of Manipur unit of the Naga Peoples’ Front and creating a war like situation which was resolved only by the intervention of the Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI, speaks volume of the communal politics of the GoM.
16. Ibobi’s communal government has the distinction of having K. Ranjit Singh, Minister, Works who shot the Advocate General of the State; and N. Biren Singh, Minister, FCS and Spokesperson of the SPF, GoM whose son used his licence gun and shot dead an innocent student.
17. While Ibobi is unable to check the extortion of 29% at Imphal from all development work funds of the hills under his very nose, he wants to suppress the democratic movement of the Naga people in pursuit of their rights.
It is therefore being posed before the world why Ibobi’s communal Government, which has earned notoriety for misgovernance, communalism and abuse of power is being allowed to use the State as his own private fiefdom. The Government of India has the fundamental responsibility of ensuring that the constitution of India prevails throughout the country and intervene with imposition of Presidential Rule in the totally failed state of Manipur.
The GoM is now mobilising a section of the legal fraternity to obtain court strictures against the Naga frontal organisations to suppress the people’s movement to secure the due rights of citizens under a democratic polity. We shall however confront all the wild and communal attempts in the most befitting manner. We call upon all Nagas to be on guard and to be vigilant against any repressive measure of the GoM till our aspirations are secured.
The issue is about the sharp social divide on communal lines created by years and years of suppression, oppression and exploitation by the communal GoM. The only option is the peaceful parting of ways and good neighbourliness. This democratic and legitimate peoples’ movement is being sought to be banned by the communal GoM. We reproduce below a few instances of blatant abuse of power, nexus with extremist groups, criminal conducts, communalism and utter failure in governance of the GoM and bring it to the public domain as to why the GoM should not be banned instead -
1. The Naga aspiration for Integration under one political roof is not anti-national or unconstitutional or illegal as was pronounced in 1972 during the merger of the AICC and the United Naga Integration Council. Yet the GoM has vehemently objected to it with fanatical fervor.
2. The criminals spearheaded by the AMUCO, who burnt the Indian National Flag, Constitution of India, the State Assembly Hall(the temple of Democracy), the official quarters of Naga MLAs and attempted to vandalise the Raj Bhavan in protest against the extension of the Indo-Naga ceasefire beyond territorial limit in 2001 have all been all set free by the GoM by setting up the C. Upendra Commission and legalizing the crime.
3. The GoM opposed the entry of the Naga leader Th. Muivah to his Native place on law and order grounds and created law and order situation at Mao Gate that resulted in the killing of 2 students and wounding of more than hundred peaceful protestors on the 6th May, 2010. The extremely excessive force used by the State forces was approved instead of initiating punitive measures.
4. After O. Ibobi welcomed the plebiscite proposal by the banned UNLF on Sovereignty of Manipur, massive sensitization campaign on the plebiscite was carried in the 4 Imphal valley district with the support of the GoM and under the aegis of the UCM and the Meira Paibis. The Manipur Legislative Assembly deliberated on the 16th March 2011 on how the proposal of a banned organisation can be welcomed by a Chief Minister elected under the Indian constitution.
5. The GoM has been deafeningly silent when valley based civil organisations incited the public to bloodshed and violence should the Manipur Land Reform and Land Revenue Act, 1960 and Manipur State Land Use Board, 1991 be not extended to the hill/tribal areas.
6. The President of Manipur Working Journalists Union, Mr. Mobi Singh was arrested for being a collaborator of the KCP but the said Union was not banned.
7. The United Committee Manipur(UCM) President Mr. Sapamcha Dilip was implicated with one valley underground group but the GoM has done nothing to ban the UCM.
8. Mr. Mangi Singh, Vice President of Manipur Peoples’ Party(MPP) was arrested under NSA for his connection with valley extremists, but GoM has not initiated any action to ban the MPP.
9. MEELAL, a strident communal organisation burned down the state library at Imphal demanding imposition of Meiteilon(Manipuri) language on the tribal students but was left scot free without being banned.
10. Illegal arms were seized from the official quarter at Babupara of sitting MLA, Mr. Bijoy Koijam but he was not arrested.
11. The case of Th. Shyam Kumar, MLA of the Manipur Peoples’ Party, the then Deputy Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly who was arrested and detained in Tihar Jail, Delhi for close association with the valley based extremist group reflects the degree of nexus between the Meitei politicians and the valley extremist groups. MPP was not banned.
12. Mr. Amu Meitei, who was an active member of a valley extremist group and masquerading as the PA to Y. Irabot, Minister Industries of GoM was arrested from the Minister’s residence. No legal action was taken against the Minister concern.
13. The case of donation of Rupees one crore fifty lakhs by O. Ibobi to the PLA, a valley based extremists Group, when Gen. JJ. Singh was the Chief of Army Staff is still fresh in the memory of the public and no action has been initiated in this regard.
14. The details of Ibobi’s close nexus with the valley extremist groups and his wild abuse of power had been furnished to the AICC High Command in detail by Gaikhangam, President MPCCI and Surchandra, MLA, Spokesperson of the then dissident group of the Manipur Congress Party when they were camping in Delhi. However Ibobi continues in office with the blessing of his party High Command.
15. Strong opposition of the GoM to the visit of Mr. Neiphiu Rio, a democratically elected Chief Minister for the launching of Manipur unit of the Naga Peoples’ Front and creating a war like situation which was resolved only by the intervention of the Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI, speaks volume of the communal politics of the GoM.
16. Ibobi’s communal government has the distinction of having K. Ranjit Singh, Minister, Works who shot the Advocate General of the State; and N. Biren Singh, Minister, FCS and Spokesperson of the SPF, GoM whose son used his licence gun and shot dead an innocent student.
17. While Ibobi is unable to check the extortion of 29% at Imphal from all development work funds of the hills under his very nose, he wants to suppress the democratic movement of the Naga people in pursuit of their rights.
It is therefore being posed before the world why Ibobi’s communal Government, which has earned notoriety for misgovernance, communalism and abuse of power is being allowed to use the State as his own private fiefdom. The Government of India has the fundamental responsibility of ensuring that the constitution of India prevails throughout the country and intervene with imposition of Presidential Rule in the totally failed state of Manipur.
The GoM is now mobilising a section of the legal fraternity to obtain court strictures against the Naga frontal organisations to suppress the people’s movement to secure the due rights of citizens under a democratic polity. We shall however confront all the wild and communal attempts in the most befitting manner. We call upon all Nagas to be on guard and to be vigilant against any repressive measure of the GoM till our aspirations are secured.
