Solution to Naga issue shouldn’t affect communal harmony of Manipur, says Cocomi

Our Correspondent
Imphal, Sep. 3 (EMN): The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (Cocomi) has urged the people of the state to ‘remain vigilant and united’ in view of the reported final solution to the Naga peace talks.

The committee issued a statement on September 2, saying that the people of Manipur were not against a solution to the protracted negotiations but the settlement must remain limited to the state of Nagaland.

The solution must not affect the ‘communal harmony’ of Manipur, it stated.

The committee went on to state that the people of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, who are not part of the agreement, have been highly apprehensive of the talks as the NSCN (IM) has been demanding integration of Naga-inhabited areas of the neighbouring states in the region.

Even though NSCN (IM) has made the content of the ‘framework agreement’ public, the government of India has not made an official statement so far which is unacceptable, the release stated.

If the statements issued by the NSCN (IM) are true, then the government of India must make an official statement to the public as well, it demanded.

On November 25, 2019, a delegation of the committee had a meeting with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in the presence of Manipur chief minister and Education minister in New Delhi, wherein the Home minister reportedly assured them that if the conclusion of the peace talk goes against the consensus of the particular meeting, the public will be informed in advance and invited again for deliberation, it added.

The committee warned that ‘if the central authority works against the interests of the people of Manipur, Cocomi is well prepared with the general public to take up the necessary steps’.