Chief Minister of Manipur, Biren Singh, has assured that the territorial integrity of Manipur won’t be affected by the final settlement of the Naga Peace talks. He said that he has been assured of the same by the Central government. He further said that his government has full faith in the leadership of the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah.
“Union Home Minister Amit Shah categorically gave us this commitment when a government delegation including the Assembly Speaker and ministers visited him on Sunday,” he told reporters on Tuesday. Singh also stressed on the need to be calm till all the stakeholders are invited for discussion by the Central government.
Congress MLAs are demanding that the state government ought to provide a written assurance of the same. “If the chief minister and his MLAs firmly believe in the assurance given by the home minister that Manipur’s interest will not be harmed under any circumstances, the state government should provide a written assurance and take full responsibility for any eventuality,” said Th Lokeshwar, a former speaker of the Manipur Assembly and current MLA from the Congress party.
Meanwhile, protests are ongoing in the state fearing that the final clauses of the settlement may have adverse implications for Manipur. On Tuesday, protesters clashed with the Police. They are primarily being organized by the Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI).
The protesters are concerned that Manipur’s territorial integrity will be infringed by the seetlement given that the Naga rebels demand the creation of a unified Naga homeland, called Greater Nagaland, by incorporating the Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur besides Assam and Arunachal Pradesh with Nagaland. The chorus has also been joined by the Left parties.
