Feb. 11, 2025: In an address to the Rajya Sabha, MP Leishemba Sanajaoba stirred the chambers with a call for the long-overdue implementation of the 1949 Manipur Merger Agreement.
Highlighting Manipur’s rich 5,000-year history as a sovereign nation, Sanajaoba emphasized the significance of the agreement that integrated Manipur into India.
“Manipur, once a sovereign nation steeped in millennia of history, joined India through the Manipur Merger Agreement in 1949,” declared Sanajaoba, underlining the failure of successive governments to honor the agreement.
This, he lamented, has eroded the pride and identity of the Manipuri people.
Paragraph 8 of the agreement, as noted by the MP, mandates socio-economic and political upliftment for Manipur, a promise that remains largely unfulfilled. Sanajaoba passionately urged the Government of India to uphold its commitments and institute measures ensuring the welfare and safeguarding of Manipur’s unique laws, customs, and traditions.
“The time has come to take concrete steps,” declared Sanajaoba, appealing for decisive action to preserve Manipur’s cultural integrity while securing its rightful place within India.
