Imphal: The United Naga Council (UNC) fired back at the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee this week. They hit hard against the party's defense of 2016 district boundary shifts and the long-standing Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with Kuki militants. The Council claims these moves caused deep communal friction.
Congress spokesmen Dr. Loken and Dr. Ratan Kumar defended these policies on June 30. The UNC responded quickly. They argue the December 2016 creation of seven new districts bypassed Naga consent. It broke four government memoranda. It ignored a 2011 central government promise to consult the Naga people first.
The fallout was swift. Protests erupted. An economic blockade paralyzed the region for 139 days. The UNC insists the Congress government failed them entirely. Talks only gained traction after the BJP took power in 2017. Since then, the parties have held 13 rounds of negotiations, with the most recent sit-down occurring on January 30, 2025.
The Council remains firm. They want the districts rolled back. They also view the 2008 SoO agreement as a major security threat. The group labeled the deal a "dormant volcano" while warning that it provides safe harbors to armed groups near Naga territory.
The UNC has pressured the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to tear up the SoO pact. They want the federal government to restart tripartite talks immediately. For now, the group is calling on all political players to drop the inflammatory talk and focus on a path to lasting security.
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