Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Maintain The Territorial Integrity Of Manipur. on 3 March, 2008
> Title: Need to maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur.
DR. THOKCHOM MEINYA (INNER MANIPUR): Since 1997, the Government of India and NSCN (IM) are on cease-fire and peace talk has been on for more than 10 years. So far the Parliament and its Members are kept in dark about the progress of the parley. Only when something is reported in the media, we come to know about it.
In 2001, when the cease-fire was extended 'without territorial limits' in my state Manipur more than five lakh people came out in the street culminating to large scale violence. In the melee, the State Assembly and many Government offices were burnt down and eighteen innocent people including one woman lost their lives.
Of late, there appears to be a demand for the implementation of the Sixteen-Point Agreement, 1960 in letter and spirit, which includes the Consolidation of Contiguous Naga Areas.
In 1949, Manipur was an independent sovereign princely state when the • state got merged into the Union of India. At that point of time, Manipur did have h clear-cut geographical territorial boundary. We have a genuine fear that any attempt to disturb the territorial integrity of Manipur would certainly lead to serious undesirable consequences, resulting in large scale violence and blood-shed.
Hence, the sincere wish of the people of Manipur is that the territory of Manipur as it was at the time of merger into the Union of India in 1949 should always be preserved, maintained and respected.