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Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
Radhabinod Koijam, former chief minister of Manipur and leader of the Samata Party's state unit, said on Monday that he would meet senior party colleague George Fernandes to press for reconsideration of the government's decision to extend the ceasefire with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah faction) beyond Nagaland.
"I am meeting Fernandes Sahib to discuss the large-scale violence in Manipur. Of course, we want that the central government should review its agreement with the NSCN (I-M)," Koijam told rediff.com
Home ministry spokesman P D Shenoy told reporters that the government's agreement with the NSCN (I-M) protects the territorial integrity of all the northeastern states.
"This is the ground for the agreement," he pointed out.
Shenoy added that the Centre was observing the situation in Manipur and would act accordingly, but the government would show "extreme restraint" in dealing with the agitation.
Koijam, however, said that in an agreement of such a sensitive nature, "the Vajpayee government too should have consulted all the concerned northeastern states".
"This is our grievance, that we were not taken into confidence. But we will continue to democratically oppose the agreement. Nobody can take us for granted," he said.
Asked if the Samata Party would withdraw from the National Democratic Alliance on this issue, Koijam said, "That decision is vested in our party leadership, which is why I am meeting Fernandes Sahib."
He said he had warned recently that the agreement with the NSCN (I-M) could trigger a "bloodbath" in Manipur. "I regret to say that my apprehension has become a reality."
Koijam said rushing paramilitary forces to Manipur would only be a temporary solution to the problem. "The Manipuri people will not tolerate an inch of Manipur's land being lost because of the agreement, which appears to fuel the demand for the so-called Greater Nagaland," he said.
Koijam urged the government to understand the intricacies of the Northeast before concluding agreements with any militant groups. "If the other political parties in Manipur and at the central level had been taken into confidence, today's violent incidents could probably been avoided," he said.
Koijam disapproved of the burning of effigies of central leaders like Prime Minister A B Vajpayee. "But the Centre itself is responsible for what is happening," he added.
Koijam said he feared for his family too because the MLAs' hostel had been attacked and even the chief minister and the assembly speaker's residences had not been spared.
"I regret to say that the central leadership is obsessed with the Kashmir issue. By all means go ahead and solve the Kashmir problem. But that doesn't mean you ignore the aspirations of the northeastern states like Manipur," he said.
Koijam contended that the Northeast was a tinderbox that could be ignited by a single spark. "I hope and pray that the central leadership will see reason," he remarked.
He repeated his party's demand that all insurgent outfits shun violence and come to the negotiating table to resolve Manipur's problems. He also urged the Centre to invite all outfits for a dialogue.
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