GUWAHATI: Manipur CM N Biren Singh said on Saturday the state’s historical significance spans 2,000 years, distinguishing it from Mizoram’s relatively recent administrative history as a former district of Assam.
Singh’s statement followed a series of recent exchanges between the Manipur govt and Mizoram’s opposition party MNF, as well as Mizoram CM Lalduhoma. Speaking at a event for construction of infrastructure to relocate Assam Rifles from the premises of the historic Langthabal Old Palace in Imphal, Singh sai, “Manipur is not like Mizoram. We have a written history of 2,000 years while Mizoram was once just a district in Assam. Manipur merged with the Union of India as a single entity in 1949. Our boundaries were not newly created but we joined with the Union with intact boundaries.”
Reacting to Lalduhoma’s recent remarks made during an interview to a newspaper, Singh said, “As a mature CM of any state, one should not incite hate or interfere in the internal affairs of another state. It is very unfortunate.”
Singh said Assam Rifles has been stationed in the state for more than 100 years for security purposes. “They are not our adversaries.The gap can be bridged through talks among commanders and intellectuals,” he said. The CM said the conflict since May 3 last year is not due to maladministration but because of measures taken to protect the original inhabitants of the land and address the distorted histories of the state. “Naturally, those who once thrived on the drug trade will be discontent with the govt and against me.”