Manipur to present proposal at tripartite talks on row over 7 districts

The seven districts were created in 2016 by the then Congress government led by O Ibobi Singh amid opposition from the United Naga Council

IMPHAL: The Manipur government will present a proposal on the demand for cancellation of the 2016 decision to form seven new districts in the next round of tripartite talks, a joint statement said at the end of the meeting on Thursday.

The tripartite talks over the creation of seven districts in 2016 took place at the Senapati district headquarters

The seven districts were created in 2016 by the then Congress government led by O Ibobi Singh amid opposition from the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of Naga tribes in Manipur.

The tripartite talks started in 2017 after the UNC agreed to end an economic blockade on National Highway 2 and 37. Eleven rounds of talks were held before the negotiations paused. The talks resumed in October last year after UNC issued a fresh ultimatum to reverse the 2016 decision. The last round of negotiations was held on November 29, 2023.

The UNC wants the government to roll back the decision to create the seven districts: Jiribam, Kamjong, Kakching, Tengnoupal, Noney, Pherzawl and Kangpokpi, arguing that the decision was taken by the then Congress government without the consent and knowledge of the stakeholders involved.

A joint statement issued after Thursday’s meeting in Senapati district said, “The discussions/ deliberations focused on the creation of 7 new districts by the Government of Manipur via Notification No. 16/20/2016-R dated 8 December, 2016 and UNC’s demand for roll back of creation of the new districts. After threadbare discussions, it was mutually agreed that a proposal will be presented by representatives of the state government in the next tripartite meeting which will be held in April 2025”.

The statement was signed by United Naga Council president Ng Lorho, UNC general secretary Vareiyo Shatsang, All Naga Students’ Association Manipur president M Luikang Luckson, Naga Women’s Union president Ch Priscilla Thuimai, Manipur chief secretary Prashant Kumar Singh; Manipur commissioner (Home) N Ashok Kumar, and union ministry of home affairs’s advisor (northeast) AK Mishra.