Dimapur, Feb. 12: The United Naga Council (UNC) has issued a statement over the reported ‘recommendation’ of Manipur government to the central government to declare the UNC as an unlawful organisation.
“Land is vital to the identity, culture and traditional practice and values of the Naga people. Every Naga in Manipur is a member through the tribes, villages, clans and families. If the UNC is unlawful so then is the entire Naga population,” the UNC stated in a press release on Sunday.
“The 11th February recommendation once again demonstrates that the Congress Legislature Party under the leadership of Mr Ibobi is communal and exclusive in spite of claiming to be running the government for the entire state.”
If the UNC is unlawful, the UNC queried, “Why did the government of Manipur run by the CLP have a tripartite talk with the UNC and the government of India on the 3rd February, 2017 at Delhi and therein schedule the 25th March, 2017 for the next round of talk.”
According to the UNC, the recommendation labelled the UNC as “anti-people” and the the state’s chief minister claimed that “land belongs to the state government.”
But the MLR&LR Act of 1960 does not extend to the hill areas and protects the ownership of the tribal over their ancestral land, the UNC stated.
