Joint Statement
JOINT STATEMENT OF
United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)
People’s Revolutionary’ Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK)
Revolutionary People’s Front, Manipur (RPF)
United National Liberation Front, Manipur (UNLF)
National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN)
Tripura People’s Democratic Front (TPDF)
Boycott India’s Republic Day Celebrations
Dated 15 January 1999
It may be recalled that a unanimous decision to boycott the celebrations of major Indian events like ‘Republic Day’, Independence Day’. Etc. in our Region was taken in a meeting of the above Parties held last year. It is on the strength of that decision that this Statement is being issued to boycott the Republic Day’ celebrations of India in our Region.
As we all know, India’s Republic Day is that day when the Indian Constitution came into force. And it is this Indian Constitution’ that is claimed to be the legal basis of the colonial occupation of our Region by India. It is this ‘Indian Constitution’ that denies the fundamental human right of national self-determination to the peoples of our Region. It is this ‘Indian Constitution’ that sanctions the brutal military repression of the human aspirations of our peoples. It is this ‘Indian Constitution’ that sanctions and protects the gross violation of human rights of our peoples by the Indian Occupation Force. In short, it is this ‘Indian Constitution’ that sanctions state terrorism against the peoples of our Region. What shall be done, then?
In the overall colonial situation in the Region today, celebrations of Indian events like the Republic Day is nothing but indulgence in self-deception. Because the simple fact is that we were never Indians, we are distinct peoples and nations in our own right. Above all, the Region was never a part of India. Therefore, the entire peoples of the Region should understand together that the Indian constitution could never be the legal basis of our existence as distinct peoples. Allowing to be so means surrendering ourselves to perpetual slavery in colonial bondage. That further means loss of our distinctive identities to Indian assimilation besides allowing India to loot and plunder our rich natural resources. In short, our existence as peoples, even as individuals, is at stake under the Indian constitution. Then, we should reject the Indian constitution. For the struggling peoples of the Region, India’s Republic Day is an occasion to express our symbolic rejection of the Indian constitution.
Therefore, the above mentioned Parties hereby jointly declare to observe a GENERAL STRIKE from the midnight of 25/26 January to 5 P.M. of 26 January 1999 in the entire Region to boycott India’s Republic Day celebrations. We call upon the entire peoples of the Region to observe the Boycott in the most effective manner.
JOINT STATEMENT OF
REVOLUTIONARY PEOPLE’S FRONT,
MANIPUR, TRIPURA PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC FRONT AND
UNITED NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT, MANIPUR
AGAINST INDIAN ANNEXATION OF MANIPUR AND TRIPURA
21 September 1998
Manipur and Tripura were independent kingdoms before their annexation by India in 1949. It is a historical fact that the two kingdoms were never a part of India. Even during the British rule, the two kingdoms were not annexed to the British Indian territories. Though the treacherous annexation of the two kingdoms were carried out under different circumstances, the official announcement of India government to that effect was made on the same day, that is, 15 October 1949.
In Manipur’s case, the Indian representative, the Governor of Assam, invited the King to Shillong to discuss some other matter, not Manipur’s ‘merger’ with India. However, on arrival there, the Indian representative asked the King to sign an already prepared “Manipur Merger Agreement”. The King completely caught by surprise refused to sign the document. Thereupon he was kept under house arrest. The Indian representative did not allow him to Communicate with the outside world including his Council of Ministers (Manipur then already had a democratically elected State Assembly and a popular government. So, the King had become a nominal head of state with no power to sign such international agreements.). The King resisted for three days but had to sign under duress the treacherous “Manipur Merger Agreement” on the fateful day of 21 September 1949.
On the other hand, Tripura at that time was passing through a crucial period of her existence as an independent country. The King mother as Regent Queen ran the administration of the Kingdom, as the King was a minor then. At that time huge influx of Hindu Bengali refugees into Tripura were taking place from the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) as a result of communal riots following India-Pakistan partition in 1947. A rumour was afloat that some Muslim leaders in Tripura were hatching a conspiracy to overthrow the minor king and merge Tripura with East Pakistan. Apprehensive of his son’s fate in such a situation, the Queen Regent approached the Indian government for help. India grabbed the opportunity to annex the small Kingdom. They agreed to render help but on condition that the Queen Regent sign the “Tripura Merger Agreement”. The Queen felt betrayed but under the circumstances had no other alternative. Helpless, she signed the ‘merger agreement’ on 9 September 1949.
This is briefly how our two small countries became victims of Indian expansionism. And we were not the lasts because Sikkim became the latest victim in 1975. In all these annexations, the common feature displayed by India was their traditional intrigue, treachery and intimidation.
Today, however, our two peoples have stood up to say NO to that treacherous act of annexation. Today our peoples along with the entire peoples of our Region have firmly resolved to regain our freedom and independence by all means. We are now on the warpath to reassert our fundamental human right, that is the right to national self- determination. Together we will fight against the common enemy and together we will tell the outside world the immense sufferings of our peoples under the colonial occupation of India.
Therefore, we, the undersigned representatives of our respective Parties appeal to the fraternal peoples of Manipur and Tripura, and also to the entire peoples of the Region to strengthen the traditional brotherhood among them and forge their solidarity to stand together in the struggle for national salvation.
Irengbam Chaoren,
President, RPF
Ranjit Deb Barma,
President, TPDF
Sana Yaima,
General Secretary, UNLF
Dated 21 September 1998
Appeal jointly made by:
National Socialist Council of Nagaland
People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak
Revolutionary People’s Front, Manipur
Tripura People’s Democratic Front
United Liberation Front of Asom
United National Liberation Front, Manipur
JOINT DECLARATION
CALL TO BOYCOTT INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY
25 July 1998
At the outset we wish to congratulate the entire peoples of our Region and all the fraternal revolutionary organisations for the successful boycott of India’s ‘Independence Day’ last year and this year’s ‘Republic Day.’ These events have distinctly proved the effectiveness of collective effort. This collective effort should be strengthened and consolidated, both at the level of the revolutionary organisations and at the level of peoples as well.
We earnestly feel that the collective boycott of the above mentioned events should be utilised as an opportunity to understand together the common problems confronting the entire peoples of the Region so as to seek their solutions together. The foremost among the problems is the colonial occupation of the Region by India.
As we all know the entire Region is now under the repressive colonial occupation of India thereby denying its peoples the fundamental human rights of FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE. For almost fifty years or so, India has been plundering our natural wealth thus denying our peoples the right to enjoy that wealth freely. As a result, the Region remains the most backward of the backwards. Besides, India has destroyed the original demographic structure of the Region by encouraging population transfer from the Indian Sub-continent. What is more, India has been using brute Military Force to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the peoples of the Region to determine their own future by themselves. Gross violations of human rights by the Indian occupation forces have become daily happenings in most parts of the Region.
Under the circumstances, Compatriots, the Independence Day celebrations of India in our Region is nothing but deceiving our peoples into believing the colonial occupation as ‘independence’. Once again, we urge upon the entire peoples of the Region to liberate their minds from this deception of Indian colonial occupation and find their own bearing for genuine independence and freedom in a common vision.
Therefore, the organisations represented herein below, cutting across the existing affiliations, have decided to conduct a joint campaign at the Regional level against the celebration of India’s major events in our Region.
As a part of this campaign we call upon the entire peoples of the Region to boycott India’s Independence Day celebrations this year also and to prevent any such celebrations from being held on the soil of our Region. As part of the boycott, a GENERAL STRIKE shall be observed throughout the Region from the midnight of 14th of August to the 1700 hours of 15th of August. Specific campaign programs in the States shall be announced and conducted by the respective organisations.
We also appeal to all the patriotic revolutionary organisations in the Region to join the common campaign and strengthen the effort for unity.
“INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE, OUR COLONIAL BONDAGE!”
“BOYCOTT INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY!”
“DOWN WITH INDIAN OCCUPATION FORCES!”
“RESIST HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION!”
“UNITE, TO STAND TOGETHER!”