Can't accept Amit Shah promise on Manipur integrity: Congress

IMPHAL: Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Gaikhangam on Thursday said that they cannot accept the assurance by Union home minster Amit Shah that Manipur's territorial integrity will not be affected as a result of the Naga peace process.
During a demonstration by Manipur Congress members to protest against the non-disclosure of details of the Naga Framework Agreement at the gate of GM hall in Imphal city, Gaikhangam said Congress would always welcome any settlement that would bring peace in the region."Congress party's stand is very clear. We want to ensure that the final Naga agreement should not compromise on the state's territorial integrity, as well as the interest of all residents of Manipur," said Gaikhangam, who is also a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member.
Even though the central leaders have frequently said that the Naga settlement would not affect Manipur, Gaikhangam asked if there is any "hidden motive" behind deploying a large number of central paramilitary force personnel in the state. If any untoward incident is triggered as a result of the final agreement, the BJP government should be held responsible, he added,
Meanwhile, various civil bodies, local clubs and women activists continued to stage widespread protests, holding rallies and forming human chains, to urge the Centre to make the details of the Framework Agreement public and save Manipur's territorial integrity. Responding to the call of the Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the protesters also demanded that the Centre should give a written assurance that Manipur's integrity would not be compromised by the final Naga settlement.
On the other hand, a team of Congress legislators, led by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, is currently camping in New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other central leaders to demand that Manipur's territorial integrity is protected.
The delegation is likely meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday to discuss the issue, said the newly-appointed Manipur PCC president and former minister Moiranghem Oken. After meeting Sonia, the team would call on Union home minister Amit Shah, Oken said, adding that the team might wait for Modi to return to the country and then meet him.