"We must learn to live together. There is no problem which cannot be solved through talks," said Chidambaram minutes after he inaugurated a mini secretariat office complex and a section of a district hospital at the district headquarters here, 61 km from Imphal.
The Union minister's peace initiative came a couple of days after the state government and the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee (SHDDC) entered into an agreement in which the former assured to upgrade the Kuki-dominated Sadar hills to a full-fledged revenue district at the earliest after the submission of a report by the District Re-organization Committee (DRC).
Accompanied by central officials and AICC leaders, Chidambaram arrived in Imphal in a special aircraft on Wednesday morning on his two-day visit to strife-torn Manipur. From Imphal, he, along with chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and his team, landed at Senapati in a chopper.
Before addressing the public at Senapati, the Union home minister and the chief minister had a closed-door meeting with the leaders of the agitating United Naga Council (UNC) for about 40 minutes.
Though both parties refused to divulge the meeting deliberations, sources said the UNC hard pressed the home minister to implement its long standing demand of an alternative administrative arrangement in Naga areas without links with the state government.
Following Monday night's agreement, the SHDDC suspended its 90-day economic blockade on National Highways 2 and 37.
Denouncing the state government's alleged attempt to bifurcate the Naga-dominated areas to create new districts, the UNC has been imposing economic blockade on the highways since August 21.
The apex Naga body has also imposed a three-day total bandh in the Naga area from Thursday midnight in protest against the state-SHDDC agreement. Pacifying the UNC's ire, Singh said even after the DRC submits its report, his government will not take any decision of its own to create the Sadar Hills district.
"Even after we receive the DRC report, we will consult all civil bodies and communities. We will not take any decision unilaterally and we don't want to create problems while trying to resolve another problem," Singh said.
"We will not do anything which will hurt any community and we should live together peacefully. If there is any misunderstanding let us forget and forgive," the chief minister said, earning a round of heavy applause from the Nagas at the newly inaugurated hall within the district headquarters' mini secretariat complex.
The chief minister appealed to the UNC to end its intensified stir in the larger interest of the people. "At a time when the Centre is extending its utmost effort to develop the state, we are facing frequent economic blockades," Singh lamented.
After the Senapati programme, they flew to Ukhrul to inaugurate a new government infrastructure. On Thursday, they will visit Tamenglong district.
0 comments:
Post a Comment