Groups of women, united under the banner of the Manipur Women Convention, urged the union government to review the 1949 merger agreement between Manipur, a sovereign state at the time, and India after becoming enraged by the Prime Minister and others at the Centre’s stony silence.
Mothers from Khwairamband Ima Keithel and the rest of the Imphal valley held a sit-in protest on Tuesday at Ima Keithel No. 1 in Imphal, in opposition to the Kukis’ demand to withdraw state forces from Moreh, a town in the Chandel district of Manipur, and deploy central forces there a few days ago.
Asem Nirmala, a representative of the Manipur Women Convention, urged the authorities to disregard the Kukis’ requests to withdraw the state forces from Moreh and replace them with central forces. It would serve as a stepping stone for the establishment of a separate administration in the event that the state or the central government sends central forces, she said.
Since Manipur is a small state, there is no requirement under the constitution for it to have two distinct governments, she added.
The Kukis have the option to demand a separate government even if they believe it to be just and constitutional, she said and questioned why they terrorise the Meiteis, slaughter so many innocent people, and set so many of their villages and homes on fire.
She added that despite the conflict having lasted for three months, the Prime Minister has said nothing about Manipur.
The mothers unanimously decided not to make any more requests to the central government in light of this blatant indifference. She claimed that the centre has ignored calls for it to investigate the ongoing unrest in the state and other petitions, requests. They consequently made the decision to prefer to request a review of the merger agreement, she said, adding that they’ll battle for it till they lose all the blood in their veins.
The mothers added that they would investigate the norms on which the 1949 merger agreement was signed.
