Imphal, May 27 : Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh today held a series of meetings with his council of ministers and top police and civil officials ahead of the third round of tripartite talks on the Naga demand for an alternative administrative arrangement in Naga-dominated areas and the proposed visit by Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio to Senapati.
The Union home ministry has fixed May 30 as the date for the third round of tripartite talks, to be held at Senapati, the headquarters of the Naga-dominated Senapati district.
The first round of talks was held in Delhi between Union home minister P. Chidambaram, a delegation of the United Naga Council (UNC) and Manipur’s resident commissioner, Delhi, Rakesh Ranjan, on September 21, 2010, and the second round was held at Senapati on December 3.
The UNC and Committee for Alternative Arrangement raised the demand for an alternative administrative arrangement for Nagas in Manipur last year after the Ibobi Singh government prevented NSCN (I-M) leader Th. Muivah from entering Manipur on May 6, 2010, which led to the death of two students in a police crackdown on Muivah’s supporters at Mao Gate in Senapati district that day.
“Ibobi Singh today reviewed the law and order situation with chief secretary D.S. Poonia and director-general of police Yumnam Joykumar Singh. He also met members of his council of ministers to review the situation,” an official source said.
“We reviewed the situation, which is volatile in view of the Nagaland chief minister’s plan to visit Manipur and also the Senapati talks,” government spokesperson and irrigation and flood control minister N. Biren Singh told The Telegraph.
He said the state government was consulting New Delhi to come up with a plan to deal with the situation that is likely to arise after the two events, as it feels that the visit by Rio and the talks could create problems in the state capital.
Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio will visit Senapati two days ahead of the proposed talks to open the Manipur unit of Nagaland’s political party — the Naga People’s Front (NPF).
Nagaland’s Lok Sabha MP C.M. Chang will also be among the VIPs taking part in the launch of the NPF unit on May 28.
Leaders of Naga civil society bodies and political leaders have also been invited to the launch by the general secretary of the unit, S. Kho John.
Sources said Ibobi Singh also discussed measures to be taken if protests against the tripartite talks are organised in the valley.
Various citizens’ bodies like by United Committee Manipur and All Manipur United Clubs Organisation are strongly opposed to any move to divide Manipur.