Tripartite talks on Manipur’s Naga districts rollback inconclusive; next meeting on Nov 15

Imphal, Oct 12: The tripartite talks involving the Centre, the Manipur government, and the United Naga Council (UNC) concluded without reaching an agreement regarding the contentious rollback of seven districts created in December 2016.

The discussions that took place on Friday highlighted a commitment to continue dialogue to address the issue in a timely manner. The next round of talks is set to occur on November 15, 2024, in Senapati district.

A joint statement issued post-meeting revealed that the talks, held in a “cordial atmosphere”, centred on the establishment of the seven new districts, as outlined in Notification No. 16/20/2016-R dated December 8, 2016.

The UNC has long demanded the rollback of these districts, arguing that their creation infringes on the ancestral lands of the Naga tribes.

The meeting saw representation from key stakeholders - AK Mishra, advisor (North East) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, led the Indian government’s team, while the Manipur government was represented by Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi and Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home) N. Ashok Kumar.

The UNC delegation included President Ng Lorho, General Secretary Vareiyo Shatsang, Working Committee Convenor Samson Riamei, Secretary A.C. Thotso, former President K.S. Paul Leo, Naga Women’s Union President Priscilla Thiumai, and All Naga Students’ Association Manipur President Luikang Luckson.

This meeting marks the 11th round of discussions on the district creation issue, following the last meeting held on March 9, 2019, at the Senapati district headquarters. The previous ten rounds also took place in Senapati.

The seven districts, created under the Congress-led government, expanded the total number of districts in Manipur from nine to sixteen.

The new districts include Tengnoupal (from Chandel), Kamjong (from Ukhrul), Pherzawl (from Churachandpur), Kangpokpi (from Senapati), and Jiribam (from Imphal East district).