GUWAHATI: The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), which is a conglomerate of civil society organisations, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured it that the Centre would not grant autonomy to any community in Manipur.
“We made our position very clear to him on the issue of Manipur’s territorial integrity. He assured us that no autonomy will be granted to any community in Manipur. He said the Central government is working out a formula to resolve all internal contradictions in Manipur so people (from different ethnic communities) can work and live together in harmony,” COCOMI leader Khuraijam Athouba told The New Indian Express.
A delegation of the COCOMI had met Shah in Imphal on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
Shah’s purported statement comes against the backdrop of media reports that as the Centre is trying to solve the protracted Naga political problem, it is working on creating a territorial council each in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh to grant autonomy to the Nagas living in the two states.
“We have said it time and again that we will not compromise on the issue of Manipur’s integrity. We want to cooperate towards the settlement of Naga issue. However, it should not be at the cost of compromising on the interests of people in Manipur,” Athouba said.
The COCOMI wants the Centre to make public all the issues, concerning Manipur and negotiated with insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), Athouba added.
Apart from COCOMI, delegations from United Naga Council, Kuki Inpi Manipur and Zeliangrong Baudi met Shah.
On Saturday, a people’s convention in the state categorically had stated that the people of Manipur would not accept any ethnic-based territorial council within the state. It said such an arrangement would create more political and ethnic problems.