The United Naga Council is constrained to issue this rejoinder in regard to the recent statement of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee on the issues of the arbitrary creation of 7 new districts and the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militants circulating in the media on June 30, 2026, to enable the public and concerned authorities to understand the matter in right perspective.
We have nothing to do with political mudslinging between parties. But the Council is deeply concerned by the inflammatory statements of Congress Spokespersons Dr. Loken and Dr. Ratan Kumar justifying what has proven to be a Frankenstein policy affecting the Nagas and the state at large.
On the Arbitrary Creation of 7 New Districts:
There had been social unrest in the state of Manipur in the backdrop of arbitrary creation of 7 (seven) new districts by bifurcating parent districts on December 8, 2016 during the Congress regime without the informed consent and knowledge of the stakeholders- dishonouring the four (4) memoranda between government of Manipur and the Naga people and the assurance from the government of India in 2011, that no decision would be taken without consulting all sections of the people and all stakeholders, including Naga bodies representing the Nagas. The then Congress regime bypassed those Memoranda and commitment.
An over 139-day economic blockade was launched as a last resort after all constitutional means failed. Instead of addressing the people’s grievances, the Congress government chose to ignore the voice of the affected indigenous communities.
Only after the new BJP led Government was installed in the state and at the invitation of the Union Home Ministry in 2017, the tripartite talks involving Gol, GoM, and UNC began. As many as 13 (thirteen) rounds of Tripartite Talks amongst the Government of Manipur (GoM), United Naga Council (UNC) and Government of India (Gol) had been taken place to redress the issue, the last talk being held on January 30, 2025 with the assurance that concrete proposal shall be placed by the government of Manipur in the next round of talk supposedly proposed to be held by the month of April 2025.
If Dr. Loken and Dr. Ratan Kumar think that there is nothing wrong with the district creation, they and the Congress party should be held responsible for the unrest, economic loss, vitiating the land and identity and trust deficit it triggered. Policy decisions cannot be divorced from their consequences.
The Tripartite Talks on the issue of District roll back have been pending since the state government was put under suspended animation. The matter cannot be treated as a closed chapter.
On the Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement with Kuki Militants:
As we are all aware, the SoO pact, signed in 2008 with Kuki Militants under the Congress regime, gave legitimacy and safe havens to armed groups without a time-bound roadmap for resolution. It has functioned like a dormant volcano planted in the state and exploding in its time as we are witnessing and experiencing today.
As a matter of fact, a serious questions remain unanswered on why SoO camps were placed around Imphal Valley and in the foothills of strategic Naga areas. This encirclement has direct implications for the security of the capital and indigenous lands.
Further, the statement of this Congress spokesperson also negates the will of the entire indigenous community in the state by justifying the SoO pact, which has been denounced by all and with repeated demands for its abrogation to restore peace in the state.
Indeed, it is high time for the congress party to realize and work for setting a wrong right, these two political misadventures that has made in their regime for the advantage of one community, the Kukis, while putting the welfare and security of the indigenous population of the state at stake.
“The UNC reiterates their stance and has apprised the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gol, that the pending tripartite talk must be resumed in good faith, and the SoO agreement that has outlived its purpose should be abrogated without delay. Political rhetoric must not inflame an already fragile situation. We urge all stakeholders to exercise restraint from mudslinging and politicking yet call for standing together for the collective security to check external aggression and proxy arrangements for lasting peace in the state” stated the press release issued by H. James Hau, Information & Publicity Secretary, UNC.
