By T. Gouzadou, Ex-Minister
I do not say that it is wrong to request the Government of India to shift the Assam Rifles from Kangla, but as a native of Manipur, I like to say that threatening the government by resorting to general strike may kindly be avoided because we have already so many urgent problems to be solved by the government, The Assam -Rifles has been occupying Kangla for the last many decades and even if they continue to occupy the area, the land continues to be the sacred place and soil of Manipur. It is learnt that the 4th Bn. The Assam Rifles was raised in 1913 and established its cantonment in Imphal. The long service of the Assam Rifles in Manipur has made us feel that the officers and men of the Assam Rifles, past and present, are our own men. They have been in Manipur for our security. We remember with admiration the invaluable services rendered by the Assam Rifles during the Second World War. It will be unfair to blame the whole battalion for the crimes committed by any member of the battalion. He who commits a crime shall have to be punished by a court of law. To launch agitation one after the other to force the Assam Rifles to leave Kangla, which has been occupied by them for the last many decades, may appear to be an act of ingratitude.
Any person, whether he is a politician or a government servant, is corrupted when he has no sense of belonging, Such corrupt man cannot feel that he is serving his own people. He cannot have a sense of belonging because he has a slave mentality. Our failure to pay electric bills, telephone bills, house rent, land revenue, water tax, etc is a clear proof of our disloyalty to God, to our Manipur government and to our own people. Unless we are loyal to God, to the government and to our people, our government is bound to be weak and we shall have to suffer without end. We rightly say that territorial integrity of Manipur must be maintained at any cost. If all sections, of the people of Manipur feel that Manipur is their native land, no one from outside will be able to destroy the territorial integrity of Manipur. He who feels that Manipur is his native land looks upon- anyone living in Manipur as his brother/ sister. Meiteis have the greatest responsibility and the ability to make all sections of the people feel happy to live in Manipur, the most lonely place in India, Let us consider the following words of S.Radhakrisnan spoken in the Constituent Assembly when the National Flag was formally accepted: "The flag tells us, be ever alert, be ever on the move, go forward, work for a free, flexible, compassionate, decent, democratic society in which Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains will all find a safe shelter."
I do not say that it is wrong to request the Government of India to shift the Assam Rifles from Kangla, but as a native of Manipur, I like to say that threatening the government by resorting to general strike may kindly be avoided because we have already so many urgent problems to be solved by the government, The Assam -Rifles has been occupying Kangla for the last many decades and even if they continue to occupy the area, the land continues to be the sacred place and soil of Manipur. It is learnt that the 4th Bn. The Assam Rifles was raised in 1913 and established its cantonment in Imphal. The long service of the Assam Rifles in Manipur has made us feel that the officers and men of the Assam Rifles, past and present, are our own men. They have been in Manipur for our security. We remember with admiration the invaluable services rendered by the Assam Rifles during the Second World War. It will be unfair to blame the whole battalion for the crimes committed by any member of the battalion. He who commits a crime shall have to be punished by a court of law. To launch agitation one after the other to force the Assam Rifles to leave Kangla, which has been occupied by them for the last many decades, may appear to be an act of ingratitude.
Any person, whether he is a politician or a government servant, is corrupted when he has no sense of belonging, Such corrupt man cannot feel that he is serving his own people. He cannot have a sense of belonging because he has a slave mentality. Our failure to pay electric bills, telephone bills, house rent, land revenue, water tax, etc is a clear proof of our disloyalty to God, to our Manipur government and to our own people. Unless we are loyal to God, to the government and to our people, our government is bound to be weak and we shall have to suffer without end. We rightly say that territorial integrity of Manipur must be maintained at any cost. If all sections, of the people of Manipur feel that Manipur is their native land, no one from outside will be able to destroy the territorial integrity of Manipur. He who feels that Manipur is his native land looks upon- anyone living in Manipur as his brother/ sister. Meiteis have the greatest responsibility and the ability to make all sections of the people feel happy to live in Manipur, the most lonely place in India, Let us consider the following words of S.Radhakrisnan spoken in the Constituent Assembly when the National Flag was formally accepted: "The flag tells us, be ever alert, be ever on the move, go forward, work for a free, flexible, compassionate, decent, democratic society in which Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains will all find a safe shelter."
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