Manipur: Nagas temporarily suspend highways blockade ahead of PM Modi’s visit

The UNC had started its indefinite “trade embargo” on September 9. (Photo credit: X/@BinaNepram)

The United Naga Council (UNC), the top body of the Nagas in Manipur, announced that it would temporarily lift its ongoing “trade embargo” on key highways on Thursday, two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to the state, The Indian Express reported.

The decision came after an emergency meeting in Senapati district, where the UNC leaders agreed to suspend the indefinite blockade starting from 6 pm on Thursday. The group explained that the move was made in response to a request from the government.

With this suspension, the flow of goods into Manipur through important routes such as National Highway-2 and National Highway-37 is expected to return to normal. Both these roads pass through Naga-majority districts like Senapati and Tamenglong and are vital for the supply of essential goods.

The UNC had started its indefinite “trade embargo” on September 9. The protest was aimed at showing opposition to two key decisions of the Centre, the construction of a fence along the India-Myanmar border and the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between the two countries. The FMR earlier allowed border residents to cross over for limited trade and social interactions without visas or passports.

In a letter to the UNC on Wednesday, Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had been engaging with it on the issue of the border fence in Naga-inhabited areas. “The next tripartite meeting with UNC will be held on a mutually convenient date and venue,” Goel said, urging the outfit to withdraw its agitation in the larger public interest.

While the suspension of the blockade brought temporary relief to the state government, the BJP faced fresh internal trouble, as 13 party office-bearers and their supporters from the Phungyar constituency resigned on Thursday. In their joint resignation statement, they said, “We, the members, expressed our deep concern over the present state of affairs within the party and highlighted a lack of consultation, inclusiveness, and respect for grassroots leadership as major reasons. Our loyalty to the party and its ideology has always been unwavering. We reaffirmed our commitment to work for the welfare of our community and the people of Manipur.”

Among those who quit were the Phungyar mandal president, the Yuva Morcha president, the ST Morcha executive, the Mahila Morcha president, and as many as 53 booth-level presidents.

However, the BJP’s state leadership downplayed the resignations. Awung Shimray Hopingson, the state vice-president, dismissed the move as a “publicity stunt ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.” He claimed that the official mandal and booth-level units in Phungyar were functioning as usual and were fully committed to the party’s work.

According to him, those who resigned had been involved in anti-party activities since the 2022 elections and their departure would not affect the organisation’s strength.