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Manipur : Militant outfit, MPP, charts framework for talks

	January 28, 2008

The Manipur People’s Party (MPP) is preparing to chalk out a “framework” for peace talks between the Centre and militant groups operating in the state.



The move comes close on the heels of a resolution adopted at the party’s recent annual conference where it had urged the Centre to hold talks with militants.



“Insurgency in Manipur is not a law and order problem. It arises out of discontent among the youth after Manipur was forci¬bly merged with the Indian Union. The might of the gun and kill¬ing (of militants) will not help solve the problem,” the resolu¬tion adopted by the state’s oldest regional party on January 11, read.



The MPP has started consulting intellectuals, including university teachers and eminent citizens to end insurgency.



Confirming the report, MPP president and former Deputy Chief Minister L. Chandramani Singh said: “The process is now in the initial stage and nothing concrete has emerged. We will continue to consult a cross section of people.”



The MPP is the only party in the state to take up the prob¬lem of insurgency “seriously” and try to find a way out to re¬store peace.



While the tribal militant groups have entered into a suspen¬sion of operation agreement with security forces in August 2005, the other major outfits are not responding to offers for peace talks.



The Centre, however, has rejected a plebiscite proposal mooted by the UNLF.



“We will first try to convince the Centre about the need for a political solution. The Centre does not know why insurgency is flourishing in Manipur. We will put forward a theory before it for political dialogue,” Chandramani Singh said, adding develop¬ment without peace was impossible.



“We cannot ignore the problem of insurgency. We must find a political solution to it. The MPP will push for peace talks,” he said.



Ibobi chooses a dissident as his successor



In another political development, embattled Okram Ibobi Singh has recommended E. Kunjeshwar Singh, an arch rival of the Chief Minister, to the Congress high command as the leader who could steer the party and the state out of the mess created by months of political instability.



The dissident legislators who have been camping in New Delhi for the last two months to press for Ibobi Singh’s ouster reject¬ed the proposal outright and backed Jiribam legislator Th. Deben¬dra Singh for the post.



Ibobi Singh, who arrived in New Delhi last week for a meet¬ing with the Planning Commission, was asked to stay back for a day or two.



He suggested Kunjeshwar Singh’s name during a discussion with the AICC leader in charge of Manipur, Prithviraj Chauhan, in the Prime Minister’s Office.



Chauhan would not reveal anything except that the AICC was exploring all options. “The party is trying to resolve the cri¬sis. I am meeting others also,” he said.



Kunjeshwar Singh was with the BJP and later with the Manipur State Congress Party before joining the Congress. He won the Yaiskul seat by defeating Dorendro Singh of the Manipur People’s Party.



The oust-Ibobi lobby has decided to go a notch higher in their “struggle for justice”. Sources said that more than 15 MLAs of anti-Ibobi camp would skip the Assembly session beginning February 4.



“That is one of the probabilities, but there is no question of accepting Kunjeshwar Singh,” said the spokesman for the dissi¬dents, Y. Surchandra Singh.



Besides meeting Chauhan, the oust-Ibobi brigade have over the weeks met party president Sonia Gandhi and even Prime Min¬ister Manmohan Singh to press for a change at the top.



Last week, they even threatened to resign from the Assembly if their demand was not met. They blamed Ibobi Singh for corrup¬tion and law and order glitches.





JJ Singh, new Governor of Arunachal



Former Army Chief J J Singh, who retired last year, has been appointed new Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. Singh will take charge from K. Sankaranarayanan who, as acting Governor, also looks after Nagaland.



Singh’s appointment as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh is considered significant for two reasons. One, his stint in the state while in the Army and, two, the ongoing controversy over the state’s boundary with China.



While in service, Singh had contributed articles to regimen¬tal and professional journals on the Sino-Indian border dispute. As Additional Director-General of Military Operations at Army Headquarters, he helped evolve the policy on the border dispute.



Singh also visited Beijing as part of the joint working group on the issue.



The appointment assumes greater significance when viewed against the backdrop of Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Beijing. The Prime Minister is expected to visit the state soon.