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The most important step to bring peace and normalcy in Manipur has to be ensuring total disarmament of all arms and ammunition in the entire state, starting by withdrawing weapons from the insurgent groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact and taking action against them as they have violated the Ground Rules by openly flaunting and shooting their firearms at general public and ssecurity forces. I also urge the Central Government to oversee immediately the illegal and armed foreign groups crossing the Indian border into Manipur as it is a threat to the nation’s internal security, which is at stake. These armed groups are collaborating and fighting against our security forces. All kinds of illegal weapons used across the state should also be seized by the authorities. This will be a crucial step towards bringing back peace and normalcy to Manipur.
More proactive measures are needed in the foothills to ensure peace in these areas. These security forces also need to be present to ensure that the people can go back and resettle at Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Moreh and other places, where they had been living for ages. Similarly, those who were living in the Imphal Valley and are now displaced should be allowed to resettle at their earlier locations and live peacefully as we are one state of Manipur. It has been wrongly pictured in media and other pressure groups that all Kuki settlements in the valley have been destroyed. Many localities and houses are still intact. A prime example is a locality in my Sagolband Constituency where not a single house belonging to Kuki people has been attacked or destroyed during this ongoing conflict. Not a single person from the locality was also physically harmed while living there, though there are not too many people staying there at the moment as people are apprehensive. It is a beautiful locality with people from various walks of life, a locality I tried my best to develop and beautify during my tenure as a legislator for more then a decade. We have to be thankful to the State Government for protecting the place and the people of the area. We also have to thank the people in the Valley for protecting these places.
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It is important to note that the government is not against any particular community, but only fighting against illegal migrants, drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, illegal encroachment in reserved forests.
Manipur is a state with more than 2000 years of history with its own unique cultural identity, where various communities have lived together peacefully. Manipur will continue to live with all such indigenous people unitedly with their diverse sets of rich cultural heritage. With the Central Government assuring the people of Manipur of protecting the territorial integrity of the state, any divisive design by external forces and illegal immigrants by raising demands through their pressure groups will not be acceptable and tolerated at any cost. I stand for a united Manipur with the territorial integrity of the State protected and where there is no separate administration. Every indigenous person is welcome to live in Manipur peacefully, but those who seek and demand new pastures may do so in another place, another State, another country.
In the end, I once again urge the indigenous and general people belonging to all communities to come back and live at their respective places across the State and help bridge the divide caused by the recent incidents. Let the people from the both the hills and valley resettle peacefully in their respective places, where they had been residing as families and friends. Let us give peace a chance and not get pressurized from outside forces and insurgent groups.
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