Enthusiastic reception ceremony for the long marchers at Kangla, Imphal

After completing their valorous long march, covering a great distance of more than two thousand kilometers through Nagaland, Assam and Manipur, the youth activists of Young Horizon (a youth organization in Manipur) were enthusiastically welcomed at Kangla, Imphal on 28 th March, by a large gathering of people, old and young. The reception included a public meeting in honour of the marchers.

Addressing the public meeting, Romesh, General Secretary, Young Horizon, Manipur described the purpose of the long march and the rich experience gained by the marchers in the course of this march. The youth had started walking from January 30 th. Romesh described how, in the course of the long march they met with brothers and sisters of the different states of the Northeast. Their initiative received a lot of encouragement from different communities living in different regions of north eastern India. Before the British colonial rule, the people of Manipur lived in peace and harmony with the neighboring peoples and nations. Romesh regretted that now various forces are trying to break this traditional spirit of unity of the people of the northeast. “We must fight the challenges faced by us with our united force. If we are unable to bring unity, we are sure to remain enslaved forever”, he declared amidst applause.

Emphasising the need for unity of the people of the northeastern states, Ng. Nongyai, Member of State Human Rights Commission, criticized the “guns and the bombs of the known and unknown armed forces” and upheld that the problem of human rights violations can be ended only when the people are united.

Yebuto Kaire, a social worker from Nagaland, expressed the desire and resolve of the people of Nagaland, to work together with the people of Manipur to bring about peace, unity and development in north eastern states of India.

The President of Manipur Women’s Development Association spoke of the need to restore the unity of people of Manipur, irrespective of religion, language, caste and gender. She appealed to all the insurgent forces in Manipur to unite and fight, in order to put an end to the wanton killing by “known and unknown forces”, so that the revolutionary spirit of the youth is not extinguished and the people may be truly free.

Dr. L. Pardesi, leader of the People’s Democratic Movement and the Committee for Human Rights (COHR), severely condemned “those who are sabotaging the unity of the people in our society” and called for unity against these forces. “We must live in harmony with each other and wage our struggle against those who have been breaking the unity of the people. The rule of the oppressors and exploiters can never last long if the oppressed and exploited people are united. Unity can be created in the course of the fight with the rulers”, he said, dwelling on the deep desire for unity in the hearts of the people. Raising the demand for political power in the hands of the people, he boldly declared that there can be no peace in Manipur until the people are empowered. The need of the hour is to continue and develop our struggle with the slogan – “All power to the people!”, he concluded amidst thunderous applause.