UNC cautions state government over its handling of Autonomous District Council issue

The United Naga Council (UNC) has cautioned the state government over its continued "insincerity and deceitful handling" of the Autonomous District Council (ADC) issue and urged it to refrain from any misadventure while respecting local self-governance and democratic processes.

The UNC stated that it was shocked to learn from reliable sources that the government is trying to pass a backdoor ordinance in line with the 6th and 7th Amendments merely to stage its token governance.

In a release issued on Friday, the UNC warned that any such backdoor attempt to bulldoze the rights and sentiments of the tribal people would inevitably result in social upheaval, for which the government would be held solely responsible.

The Naga body stated that, time and again, the Naga people have maintained their position loud and clear that the proposed 6th and 7th Amendments to the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 2022, have been democratically and unequivocally rejected by the Naga people and all tribal communities.

Stating that any attempt to move ahead with these rejected amendments would amount to a direct challenge to the Nagas and the imposition of hollow and repressive legislation upon the tribal communities in the state, the UNC added that it would never accept such imposed legislation.

The UNC also recalled that the tripartite talks on the issue of district rollback involving the Government of India, the Government of Manipur, and the United Naga Council remain an unfinished agenda, under which the Government of Manipur had agreed to place a concrete proposal to address the issue.

"The Government is expected to uphold the spirit of the talks and demonstrate sincerity, rather than undermining the dialogue process through unilateral and unconstitutional manoeuvres. Now is the high time for the BJP-led Government to change its diabolical policy of stage management and end all double standards—setting fires and acting as firefighters," the UNC stated.

The Naga body further stated that such a policy of creating crises and projecting itself as the saviour has been thoroughly exposed before the people.