S. Jaiyaraman, Special Secretary on Internal Security, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) talking to the media after the fifth round of talks on Nagas ‘Alternative Arrangement’ demand at Senapati on Tuesday.
SENAPATI, Feb 12 NNN: The 5th round of formal ‘tripartite talks’ involving the United Naga Council (UNC), Manipur and Central Governments was held at Senapati district headquarters on Tuesday.
However, the theme of the talks i.e. the ‘Alternative Arrangement’ was not discussed.
The Naga leaders said they had clearly submitted the line of their aspiration to the government of India but today’s talk had not gone to that extent.
The Naga leaders have said if this attitude of the government is displayed in the next round of talks, they will go back to the people, hinting that serious agitations will be initiated.
However, the Naga leaders had conveyed that in the next round of talks it should be at the ‘political level’.
Meanwhile, in today’s talks, S Jaiyaraman, Internal Security Special Secretary and Sambhu, Joint Secretary (NE) of Union Home Ministry represented the Government of India while Manipur Government was represented by Chief Secretary DS Poonia, Additional Chief Secretary Ameising Luikham, Prinicipal Secretary (Home) DR J Suresh Babu.
UNC was represented by its president L Adani, vice president TS Warngam, general secretary Gaidon Kamei, former UNC chief KS Paul Leo, Asinpao Gangmei and four other members in the talks.
Senapati district Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jha, Superintendent of Police Pushpanjali and Commandant, 59th Mountain Bragadier also took part in it.
“The outcome of the talks was positive,” Chief Secretary DS Poonia told journalists after the meeting wherein the three sides focused on devolution of power to the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) to bring development in the hill areas of Manipur.
The meeting also discussed on development in various fields like education, health, SSA, RMSA and banks in the entire hill area at par with the valley, the Chief Secretary said.
Responding to a media query, Poonia said that the talks did not discuss about the “Alternative Arrangement” of the Naga people outside Manipur Government pending a solution to the Naga political problem.
Internal Security Special Secretary Jaiyaraman said that during the exchanges he expressed his desire to let Manipur Government to properly complete all the developmental works being taken up in the hill areas.
He, however, said the proposal of the UNC for an Alternative Arrangement for the Nagas must be decided by the Manipur Government and the Constitution.
The schedule for the next round of the tripartite talks would be decided after due consultations with the higher authorities, he said.
Naga leader KS Paul Leo said that today’s talks contradicted the 4th round of tripartite talks held on August 31, 2012 in New Delhi, but he admitted that certain unclear thing was there in the talks as Jaiyaraman took part in it for the first time.
The UNC is concerned about a political issue and hence it wants to hold talks on its demands with political leaders and not other officials of both the Manipur and Central Governments.
He said UNC demands for an Alternative Arrangement for the Naga people to safeguard their culture and identity and arrangement of separate legislature, administration, judiciary and finance for the Naga people.
“We have no bias on any particular community, but we cannot live under the rule of Chief Minister O Ibobi ,Leo said.
During the meeting, Chief Secretary D.S Poonia strongly opposed the idea of destroying the territorial integrity of Manipur, Leo cited.
Saying that Manipur has an area of 22, 238 Sq km and of this, the hill area covers 20, 000 sq km while about 2238 by the valley, he asked whether the Government wants only to heed to the wishes of the valley.
At the same time, the hill is represented by 20 MLAs while 40 by the valley in the 60-member state assembly, he said while alleging that such uneven representation of the people has led to the dominance of the hill by the valley.
Paul Leo alleged that Manipur Government has neglected the hill people for a long time and vowed that the UNC would continue to struggle for fulfillment of the aspiration of the Naga people with their mandate and that would be the final destination even if the Centre chooses to continue with its apathy toward them.
UNC had in the 4th round of tripartite talks urged the Government of India that the Nagas want that the Indo-Naga issue be settled at the earliest, apart from the demand for an Alternative Arrangement outside Government of Manipur.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/tripartite-talk-held-at-senapati/
