Assuring support, MHA reiterates Manipur integrity won’t be affected in Naga peace talk

Imphal, November 12: As the Centre seeks to deal with Indo-Naga peace talk, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said that the Home Minister has “categorically” reiterated that Manipur’s integrity would not be affected in any form. Allaying the fears of the public, CM Singh said that BJP leaders are committed to the welfare of the people and made an appeal to the people to remain calm.

 

The Manipur Chief Minister was addressing the media a day after his return from New Delhi. Singh and his cabinet ministers had gone to New Delhi last Friday to meet central leaders in the wake of unabated protests in the state against the disintegration of Manipur by the Indo-Naga settlement. “We firmly believe in the commitment given by our leaders and we honour them as the BJP is committed to the welfare of the people,” he said.

Manipur CM Singh also said that the Central Government will soon invite stakeholders in Manipur for consultation before signing the final agreement with Naga groups. Moreover, Singh further added that the state government will also hold a meeting with the civic bodies concerned in a couple of days. As such, Singh suggested that it would be wise not to take further steps that could be counterproductive.

The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) spearheading the current agitation in Manipur has been demanding a special assembly session to take a resolution to protect Manipur’s integrity among others. The chief minister said that Manipur Legislative Assembly had adopted 11 resolutions pledging to protect Manipur’s integrity and two out of the eleven resolutions two were taken by the present BJP-led government.

Pointing out that the state has witnessed enough tension, CM Singh appealed to the people to stop painting a bad image of Manipur at a time when the state is going to celebrate its biggest tourism festival.

“We urge the people to have faith in the government this time. We assure you that our leaders, who have been trying to undo the division created by past governments, will not fail us,” he added.