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Manipur Speaker moves PM on resolve to protect State territory

By CORRESPONDENT

IMPHAL, Oct 25 - In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly has stated that the State Assembly has over the years passed resolutions �to reiterate its commitment to safeguarding the territorial integrity of Manipur�.

The Assembly took a resolution to safeguard the territorial integrity of the State for the ninth time since July 17, 1998. The last resolution was taken on July 23, 2018.

In the letter dated October 23, Speaker Y Khemchand Singh said Manipur was a sovereign kingdom till it became a protectorate of the British Empire after its defeat in the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891.

Stating that Manipur regained the status of a sovereign princely state after the lapse of British suzerainty following the enactment of the Indian Independence Act, 1947, the letter said a general election was held in 1948 on the basis of universal adult franchise, paving the way for parliamentary democracy and establishment of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.

Manipur became a Part C State of India on October 15, 1949 following the signing of a merger agreement between the then King of Manipur, Maharaj Bodhchandra, and the Union of India, the letter said.

The ongoing negotiation between the Government of India and one of the Naga insurgent groups, NSCN-IM, and the latter�s demand for a �Greater Nagaland� which entails disturbing the territorial integrity of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur has been a cause of grave concern among the people of the three states, the letter added.

The Manipur Assembly Speaker expressed the hope that the Government of India would not take any action which may change the present administrative set-up of Manipur and also not grant any autonomy to any part of the State as per an Assembly resolution taken on July 23 last year.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh attended a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar of the drafting sub-committee on the Naga peace talks here today. It may be noted that the drafting committee was formed during an all-party meet on Tuesday.

Congress leader Kh Devabarta, who also attended the meet, said that an all-party delegation would visit New Delhi soon to submit a representation prepared by the drafting sub-committee to the Central Government.

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