Public interaction re-visits Merger Agreement

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 12: A one-day public interaction pro- gramme on ‘Manipur Merger Agreement and its conse-quences’ was held today at Hotel Nirmala, MG Avenue here under the aegis of the South East Asia Human Rights Association (SEAHRA).
The interaction programme was moderated by Prof N Joykumar  of MU where Prof Chinglen Mais-nam (MU), Human Rights Law Network executive director Babloo Loitongbam and  Assistant Professor Konthoujam Indrakumar (GP College) spoke as resource persons.
While discussing about the Merger Agreement, it is equally crucial to study what would happen in the future just as what had happened in the past, Babloo Loitongbam said.
The total number of Princely States merged with the Indian Union was 505 but there were lots of differences between Manipur and the remaining 504 Princely States, Babloo said.
They have long forgotten  how they merged with the Indian Union, but in Manipur, the Merger Agreement is being discussed and studied repeatedly. There are many organisations which openly oppose the Merger Agreement and have been subsequently declared as banned organisa- tions, he noted.
The informal meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinpingg at Mahabalipuram is a very significant one. In view of its rapid economic growth and military expansion, China is most likely to become a superpower country soon.
This would have serious implications on Manipur. At that time, Manipur would be bombarded by different forces from multiple directions. If Manipur is not skilful enough to steer its course in the right direction, the State may be wiped out from the surface of Earth, he said.  
SEAHRA advisor Ch Hemchand said that the interaction programme was organised in view of the growing voices of opposition against the controversial merger and the crucial need to ascertain whether the Merger Agreement is valid from legal perspective or not.
When British colonial rulers left Manipur, they gave two options, either to join the Indian Union or exist as an independent Nation.
As the people of Manipur chose to remain independent, the Manipur State Constitution Act was enacted in 1948 and a democratically elected Government was installed.
But there are reports about how the king of Manipur was called to Shillong, put under house arrest and forced to sign the Manipur Merger Agreement under duress, Hemchand said.
In view of these historical facts, it is highly questionable whether the Manipur Merger Agreement enjoys people’s mandate or not, he added.