The ‘tripartite talks’ involving the Government of India, the Government of Manipur and the United Naga Council (UNC) on the Manipur new district creation held on Friday have decided to meet again in the last week of January 2025.
The talk was held at the Senapati district headquarters.
AK Mishra, Advisor (North East), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, represented the central government and N Ashok Kumar, Commissioner (Home), represented the Government of Manipur.
The Naga side was represented by UNC president Ng Lorho, general secretary (UNC) Vareiyo Shatsang, three former UNC presidents-L Adani, Paul Leo, Samson Remmei, and Naga Women Union (NWU) president Priscilla Thiumai, UNC Working general secretary AC Thotso, All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) president M Luikang Luckson and others.
“The discussion/deliberations centered on the creation of seven new districts by the Government of Manipur through Notification No.16/20/2016-R dated December 8, 2016, and the UNC’s demand to roll back the decision,” said a joint statement signed by the participants of Friday’s talks.
“The representatives of the Government of Manipur expressed their inability to present a concrete proposal in view of certain challenges. However, the UNC voiced strong objections to the non-submission of a concrete proposal and insisted that it be submitted in the next round of talks”, the joint statement informed.
However, the joint statement claimed that the “meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, and it was agreed further progress will be made by engaging in a sustained manner in order to resolve the issue politically in a time-bound manner keeping in view of the previous commitments”.
It can also be recalled here that the Manipur new district creation issue tripartite talks involving the Central government, the United Naga Council (UNC) and the Government of Manipur resumed on October 11, 2024, in New Delhi after a long hiatus.
It is also worth noting here that, the Government of Manipur had created the seven new districts on December 8, 2016. In protest against that act of the Manipur Government, the UNC had imposed 139 days of economic blockade along the national highways which pass through Manipur. After the lifting of the blockade, the first round of talk was held on March 19, 2017 followed by several rounds of talk.
