No breakthrough in Manipur tripartite talks over district rollback
The next round of talks has been scheduled for the last week of January 2025.
A joint statement released by representatives of all three stakeholders underscored the impasse.
Imphal, Nov 30: The tripartite talks involving the Centre, the state government, and the United Naga Council (UNC) over the rollback of seven new districts in Manipur ended in yet another stalemate, officials confirmed on Friday.
The meeting, held in a reportedly cordial atmosphere, failed to achieve any breakthrough as the state government expressed its inability to provide a concrete proposal due to “certain difficulties”.
This drew sharp criticism from the UNC, which insisted that a comprehensive proposal must be submitted in the next round of discussions.
A joint statement released by representatives of all three stakeholders underscored the impasse. It noted that while the discussions were constructive, the path forward required sustained engagement.
"The issues would be politically resolved in a time-bound manner, keeping in view the previous commitments," the statement read.
The November 29 talks were attended by key signatories, including A.K. Mishra, Advisor for Northeast Affairs from the Centre; N. Ashok Kumar, IAS, Commissioner (Home), Manipur Government; Ng. Lorho, President of the UNC; and Vareiyo Shatsang, General Secretary, UNC, among others.
The next round of talks has been scheduled for the last week of January 2025.
The dispute dates back to December 8, 2016, when the then Manipur government created seven new districts, sparking protests from the UNC, which viewed the move as detrimental to the interests of Naga communities.
The UNC responded with a 139-day economic blockade along the national highways passing through Manipur, severely impacting the state's supply lines.
The first round of talks to resolve the issue was held on March 19, 2017, after the blockade was lifted. However, multiple rounds of negotiations since then, including the latest one, have failed to produce a resolution.
The November 29 meeting was convened at the UNC's request after the council postponed the November 13 talks due to prior engagements of its representatives.
Despite the prolonged deadlock, all parties have reiterated their commitment to resolving the matter through continued dialogue.