The United Naga Council (UNC) has announced this evening to call a 48-hour “total bandh” under its jurisdiction from the midnight of October 3, 2024, “to register our resentment and demand for immediate roll back of the arbitrarily creation of seven new districts”.
In a statement issued to Newmai News Network Monday evening, the UNC “sets the record straight” that an ultimatum was set for redressal of the pending issues of the “arbitrary creation of seven new districts” in Manipur demanding roll back of the said districts created on December 8, 2016, in the spirit of the standing four Memoranda of Understanding between Government of Manipur and the Naga people, assurance from the Government of India, and various round of tripartite talks among the stakeholders.
Mention may be made that, in the backdrop of this arbitrary creation of seven new districts by bifurcating parent districts on December 8, 2016, during the Congress regime “without the informed consent and knowledge of the stakeholders - dishonoring the four memoranda between government of Manipur and the Naga people besides the assurance from the government of India in 2011,” the UNC stated.
Consequent upon this, a mammoth protest, hartals and an economic blockade was launched in all the national highways for 139 days in the state and as many as 10 rounds of tripartite talks among the Government of Manipur (GoM), United Naga Council (UNC) and Government of India (GoI) had been taken place to redress the issue, the last talk being held on March 9, 2019, with the assurance that concrete proposal shall be placed by the government of Manipur in the next round of talk supposedly proposed to be held by the last week of July 2019, the UNC statement also stated.
Further, the UNC had made its stance loud and clear through media outlets, reiterating their rigid position “against the arbitrary, undemocratic and divisive declaration of seven new districts on December 8, 2016, by the then Government of Manipur and any subsequent decision or ruling passed by any institution or authority on the matter stands rejected”, the statement asserted.
The UNC then said the Naga people believe in dialogue and had therefore repeatedly appealed to the concerned authority including the last ultimatum to redress our grievances through talks “but having no concrete response to our plea thus far, the Naga people have resolved to call for 48-hour total bandh to register our resentment and demand for immediate roll back of the arbitrarily creation of seven new districts in all Naga areas with effect from midnight of October 3, 2024”.
Essential services, media and emergency cases shall be exempted from the purview of the bandh. “Towards this end, prompt response and cooperation from the entire Naga populace is solicited,” it added.
