BJP team meets Chidambaram over Manipur crisis

New Delhi, May 15 (ANI): A four-member delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday to demand that Manipur's territorial integrity be protected.

Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar, who led the delegation, said: "There is no question of disturbing the territorial integrity of Manipur. There is no question of anything to do with Manipur as far as the NSCN-IM negotiations are concerned. So boundaries are not negotiable."

He also mentioned that they had sought vehicular traffic along national highways (NH-39 and NH-53) should not be obstructed.

"We said that as the supplies situation is precarious, there has to be immediate steps to clear (the economic blockade) and bring the supply through NH-53. We also demanded that there are threats issued to non-Manipuris that after May 31 they will not be allowed in Manipur to stay; that should also be taken note of," he said.

"He (Chidambaram) said that he has already made his position clear umpteen times, but we requested him to make it once more." he added Manipur is facing an economic blockade by supporters of NSCN (IM) whose leader T Muivah has been denied permission to visit his village in the state.

Earlier, violent clashes between Muivah's supporters and security forces at the border town of Mao resulted in the death of two women protestors and left over 50 others injured.

The NSCN-IM had agreed to a ceasefire in August 1997 and launched a peace process with the Central Government to bring an end to the longest-running insurgency in India.

The rebel group has participated in several rounds of talks with central officials since the start of the ceasefire.

But talks between the two sides have not made progress over the rebels" main demand of unification and eventual independence of Naga-dominated areas in northeast India. (ANI)