Newmai News Network
Imphal | August 19
Overwhelmingly responding to a clarion call against the creation of Sadar Hills and Jiribam districts, tens of thousands of Nagas took out rallies in four hill districts of Manipur with a single minded objective of not allowing incursion into their land in the event of the ongoing demands for the creation of the two contiguous districts being granted by the state government. A declaration issued during the rallies has tagged Manipur government as “communal”, playing divide and rule card between tribals, and sought tribal unity to defeat the
“hegemony” of the government.
The rallies were held at Senapati, Chandel, Tamenglong and Ukhrul districts today roughly began at 10 am and terminated at 1 pm with tens of thousands of Nagas participating in the programmes. A massive rally was also held at Tamei sub-divisional headquarters in Tamenglong district under the aegis of Liangmai Naga Council (LNC). Expressing invective rants, Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA) observed that the Congress-led Ibobi government is “irresponsible” and powerless in dealing with the issue of Sadar Hills.
“The Ibobi government is not a responsible government as recent events have shown who powerless it is by not being able to maintain peace within 10 kilometers into Sadar Hills…His warning to crackdown on the agitators only proved lip service,” he said, and added that given the powerlessness there is nothing to expect from the present government.
“Declaration” flyers that were circulated during the rallies stated “the Nagas in the present state of Manipur, under the aegis of the United Naga Council (UNC), have carried out this public rally to register our strong objection to the attempt of the government of Manipur and its collaborators to bifurcate the land of the Nagas through the creation of Sadar Hills and Jiribam districts.”
It charged the state government of playing divide and rule between the tribals of the state and overlooking the four MoUs signed between the Nagas in Manipur and t he state government in 1982, 1992, 1996 and 1998 while dealing with the ongoing political impasse of the creation of Sadar Hills.
The underlying spirit of the MoUs has been “resolution to the conflict on the issue of Sadar Hills will be brought about through a consensus of the peoples concerned in the interest of bringing about lasting peace and harmony between the Nagas and Kukis,” stated the declaration.
The statement charged the government with overlooking the sentiments of the Nagas in the contiguous Sadar Hills: “The government of Manipur has with duplicity once again engineered the space for carving out from the land of Nagas without the knowledge and consent of the Nagas, pitting the tribals against each other.”
The Nagas wish for peace and harmony with the neighboring communities that is based on mutual respect for each other’s right over land and its traditional ownership, it said and warned the “collaborators” of the government not to fish in trouble water which “will only cause grievous damage to the fraternal relationship of the communities.”
“We respect the genuine aspirations and rights of all communities in the sate just as we wish that our aspirations and rights are also respected by the others,” the declaration said. While calling upon tribals to unite against the hegemonic state government, it said that “tribal unity and cooperation is the strength with which we can collectively resist the hegemony of the government of Manipur, which has denied all constitutional rights of the tribals.”
“Tribal unity must therefore be nurtured and promoted by rejecting the divisive police of the communal government of Manipur and building up trust and confidence with each other,” the statement added.