UNC Reach Out to GoI Interlocutor

Naga economic blockade to protest Manipur polls

Imphal, Apr 12 : Even as the volunteers of All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) have scattered themselves and stationed in various ‘strategic locations’ to impose the 6-day economic blockade along the national and state highways from midnight of Sunday, the United Naga Council (UNC) said today that it had apprised the Autonomous District Council poll issue to R.S Pandey, interlocutor of the Government of India in the peace talk with the NSCN-IM.

UNC chief Samson Remmei disclosed to Newmai News Network over phone from Senapati that on April 9, the UNC team met R.S Pandey in Nagaland and apprised him about the development in Manipur. “We have briefed Mr. R.S Pandey that we do not want the imposed legislation on the tribal people by conducting the ADC elections based on the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 2008,” said Samson Remmei.

Meanwhile, the UNC president said that the Naga frontal organizations are now all set to agitate in different forms once the 6-day long economic blockade gets over. “If the response from the state government is not that positive, we are here to resort to sterner and more drastic forms of agitation,” asserted the UNC chief.

It is worth noting that the United Naga Council (UNC) had called a 12-hour ‘chakka bandh’ in Manipur hill areas on April 6 against the present status of the ‘imposed legislation’ with special reference to the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act 1971 and amended in 2008 which has been ‘rejected outrightly’. On the other hand, the state government has set May 17 and May 24 to hold elections to the ADCs.

Meanwhile, All Naga Students Association, Manipur (ANSAM) president David Choro said that ANSAM activists are now stationed in all ‘strategic locations’ to impose the blockade from midnight. “We have appealed time and again to everyone particularly the transporters to extend their co-operation to our move,” the ANSAM president said.

24 hr total bandh across tribal areas

Supporting the All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM)’s move of imposing economic blockade along the two national highways in the state, the Manipur Tribal Joint Action Committee Against Elections Under Unwanted District Council Act has called a separate 24 hours ‘total bandh in all the tribal inhabited district of Manipur’ starting from the mid-night of April 12.

GK.Rongmei, chairman of the tribal body against the elections under unwanted district council Act said that the bandh will cover all activities including the construction of railway line from Jiri to Imphal. However, he added that essential services will be relaxed from the purview of the bandh.

The chairman asserted, “The new trend of the Manipur government to hold ethnic based election is imprudent and dangerous policy which seemingly incites tension among different groups of Manipur,” adding, “such kind of divide and rule policy among the tribals should be stopped forthwith as it invites unwanted social upheaval”.

While welcoming all the tribal organizations partaking against the ongoing district council issue, the tribal body urged the general public to co-operate during their bandh.  It also warned that the bandh violators shall be at their own risk.

Newmai News Network