July 24: The United Naga Council (UNC) on Friday issued a strong warning to the Government of Manipur against any alleged attempt to introduce an ordinance related to the Autonomous District Council (ADC) issue, saying such a move would undermine the democratic aspirations of the tribal people and could trigger widespread unrest.
In a press statement issued by its Media Cell, the apex Naga tribal body claimed it had received reliable information that the state government was attempting to introduce a “backdoor ordinance” based on the proposed 6th and 7th Amendments to the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 2022.
The UNC alleged that the move was intended to project “token governance” and warned that any attempt to impose the amendments without public consent would be viewed as an assault on the rights and sentiments of the tribal communities.
“The Government shall be held solely responsible for any social upheaval arising from such a move,” the council cautioned.
Reiterating its long-standing opposition, the UNC said the proposed 6th and 7th Amendments had already been “democratically and outrightly rejected” by the Naga people and other tribal communities. It maintained that any effort to revive or implement the amendments despite widespread opposition would amount to imposing a “hollow and repressive” law on the hill districts.
The council asserted that it would never accept what it described as imposed legislation and urged the state government to respect the democratic will of the tribal population.
The UNC also referred to the ongoing tripartite dialogue involving the Government of India, the Government of Manipur, and the United Naga Council over the district rollback issue. It said the talks remain an unfinished process and recalled that the state government had agreed to place a concrete proposal to address the matter.
According to the council, the government should honour the spirit of the dialogue instead of taking unilateral decisions that could undermine the negotiation process.
Criticising the BJP-led state government, the UNC accused it of pursuing what it described as a policy of “stage management” and double standards by allegedly creating crises before presenting itself as the solution.
The organisation called on the Government of Manipur to refrain from what it termed any “misadventure” on the ADC issue and urged it to uphold democratic principles, local self-governance, and constitutional processes.
The statement was issued by the Media Cell of the United Naga Council.
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