Vision Communications
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 12
MINISTRY of Home Affairs Joint Secretary (North East) Shambhu Singh has strongly criticised the United Naga Council leadership for announcing a 48-hour bandh on Imphal-Jiribam National Highway 37 from Thursday night, saying this will only worsen the sufferings of the common masses in Manipur and Nagaland. The movement of essential commodities in both the states will be severely affected, the Joint Secretary said. Singh has also expressed his displeasure over the NSCN-IM’s attempt to “use his statement out of the context to serve their ulterior motive.”
Clarifying his recent statement in regard to the ongoing peace talks between the Centre and the NSCN-IM, Singh categorically told the Vision Communications that “My statement was distorted. I have said NSCN-IM has given up its sovereignty demand and separate Nagalim demand for the time being. I never said that they have given up this demand for ever. But the NSCN-IM leadership preferred to pick up sentences out of context from my interview and issued statement distorting my actual interview.”
He further pointed out that he had given this interview to the Vision Communications reporter in Imphal for their weekly programme “Youth Folio” and that the entire interview is available in the Youtube under the title Interview with Joint Secretary (NE) MHA Shambhu Singh.
On the 48-hour bandh called by the UNC to register their protests, Singh maintained, “This is very unfortunate. This is not an issue at all for which they have called a 48-hour bandh. This will bring more hardship to common people in both Manipur and Nagaland.”
Meanwhile, in a telephonic conversation on Thursday evening, the UNC president L K Adani has reportedly told the Vision Communications that they are very upset with the comment made by the Joint Secretary (North East) Shambhu Singh and have called a 48-hour bandh on National Highway 37 just to register their strong disapproval of Singh’s observation and also to put pressure on the Central government for finding out a solution to our demands.
It is pertinent to note here that Singh recently described the UNC demand for making an ‘Alternative Arrangement’ for the Nagas of Manipur “quite hazy.” He further said the Centre has asked the Manipur government to settle this issue with the UNC.
Reacting to this statement, the UNC president asserted, “We will not accept any solution from the state government. We will intensify our movement and if required, send a delegation to Delhi for meeting with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.
The UNC leadership claimed that in the last meeting with the Joint Secretary (Home), it was decided that the next round of talks will be at the political level which translated meant that besides Central representatives, the state government would be represented by political leaders and not any bureaucrat. The UNC said the seven-day deadline it gave for talks to resume at the political level ended on Decemeber 12. Now it will prepare to organise various methods of democratic movements including economic blockades to achieve their “goal”.
