The People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) has urged residents of Kangleipak to abstain from celebrating Manipur Statehood Day on January 21. The party claims that the state’s integration into the Indian Union resulted from coercive annexation and ongoing cultural suppression. In a statement by Laibaak Ngaakpa Luwang, PREPAK argues that the day, marking Manipur’s statehood in 1972, is misrepresented as a liberation moment despite it being seen as an annexed territory. According to PREPAK, the observance of Statehood Day distorts historical realities and misleads the populace.
Historically, PREPAK contends that Kangleipak was a British Protectorate and did not voluntarily join India following independence in 1947; instead, the Maharaja was pressured into signing a Merger Agreement in 1949. Following this agreement, Kangleipak transitioned from a Part C state to a Union Territory, eventually achieving statehood in 1972. The organization claims that utilizing Statehood Day for celebration perpetuates a misleading narrative that disrespects Kangleipak’s history and identity.
The group further asserts that post-British India retained colonial methods by oppressing smaller nations and diminishing their political aspirations. It characterizes Kangleipak as an Asiatic sovereign state whose forced assimilation has been met with efforts to erode its political status, traditional governance, and social institutions. According to PREPAK, certain scholars have distorted history to reinforce the idea that Kangleipak was always part of India, which justifies this annexation.
Moreover, PREPAK claims that the integration into India has led to economic exploitation, with local resources extracted while the community grapples with poverty and dependency. Governance is purportedly controlled from New Delhi, leaving local leadership lacking genuine authority. They criticize the education system introduced post-annexation for alienating youth from their cultural roots and assert that the electoral system reduces democracy to a mere cycle that benefits a few while destabilizing social cohesion.
PREPAK has also expressed skepticism regarding development projects initiated after annexation, alleging that these have not improved local conditions. They accuse Indian narratives of progress as being disconnected from the reality faced by the citizens of Kangleipak. In light of these assertions, PREPAK denounces the upcoming 54th anniversary of statehood as deceptive and reiterates its call for the public to boycott the celebrations, urging them to stay aware of the historical injustices faced by Kangleipak and its inhabitants.
