Chief Minister O Ibobi sure struck a confident note when he observed that the Centre has given the commitment not to alter the boundary of the State, while it has not ventured any commitment to the NSCN (IM). We are sure the Chief Minister spoke the truth when he told media persons that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee gave a standing assurance that the boundary of Manipur would not be disturbed when the All Party Delegates called on him at New Delhi.
No doubt the Chief Minister's message to the people was reassuring and we hope the Centre does not renege on its assurance and try to compromise with the territory of Manipur to chalk out a solution with the Naga rebel group which has been waging a bush war against the Indian Union for the last fifty years or so. Another positive development that we have seen in the last couple of days is the willingness of the NSCN (IM) leadership to hold talks with the Meiteis and the Assamese to ease the tension in Manipur and Assam.
However we think it would have sounded far better and much more positive, if only the NSCN (IM) had shown its willingness to talk not to the Meiteis but to the Manipuris. If we are to state the fact, we would like to lay down that the campaign to save the territorial integrity of Manipur should not be interpreted as a campaign launched by the Meities alone though as the majority community, the Meiteis are definitely leading the campaign. It is this refusal to acknowledge that Manipur is a land of numerous communities and does not belong to any particular group that will be the main obstacle to any understanding to be chalked out.
The campaign to save the territory of Manipur centres around the principle, "Manipur is the land of all communities and Manipuris are those who have been living in this land for ages." If Mr. Muivah says that Ukhrul, his birthplace does not belong to the Meiteis, no one will refute this but what was left unsaid by the redoubtable NSCN (IM) leader was the point that Ukhrul has always been a part of Manipur and there can be no two opinions on this.
Having said this, we would like to come back to the willingness of the NSCN (IM) to hold talks with the Meiteis and Assamese and though we wished the Naga rebel group had not interpreted the campaign to save the territory of Manipur along community line we would like to say that this is a welcome gesture.
There are no differences which cannot be sorted out amicably provided the sentiments and aspirations of the people concerned are respected and taken into consideration. The NSCN (IM) has already shown its willingness to talk, let's see how the other civil societies of Manipur and Assam react. We also need to study the reactions of the numerous Naga civil societies like the Naga Hoho and the United Naga Council.
In the ultimate analysis, Manipur and Nagaland will have to live and co-exist as neighbors and the onus of ensuring cordial relationships between the two neighbors depend on the people of the region and not on New Delhi.
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