NEWS

On the Statehood Day of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura (21st January), Prime Minister and other leaders praised the traditions and culture of the three northeast states.

MANIPUR

• A few days before Independence, the Maharaja of Manipur, Bodhachandra Singh, signed the Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on the assurance that the internal autonomy of Manipur would be maintained.
• Under the pressure of public opinion, the Maharaja held elections in Manipur in June 1948 and the state became a constitutional monarchy. Thus Manipur was the first part of India to hold an election based on universal adult franchise.
• Government of India succeeded in pressuring the Maharaja into signing a Merger Agreement in September 1949, without consulting the popularly elected Legislative Assembly of Manipur.

TRIPURA

• Merged with Indian union on 15th November, 1949.
• The last king Bir Bikram who was on the throne, immediately before India’s independence, died on 17th May, 1947.
• After his demise, his minor son Kirri Bikram Mannikya took the throne of Tripura kingdom, but he could not rule as he was minor.
• So his widow queen Kanchan Prabha took the charge of regency of Tripura and took over the administrative charges.
• She was instrumental for Merger of Tripura kingdom in Indian Union.

Meghalaya

• In 1947 the rulers of the Garo and Khasi region acceded to the newly independent country of India.
• Meghalaya, a small hilly state located in the North Eastern Region of India, came into existence as an autonomous state within the state of Assam on 2 April 1970 comprising the United Khasi and Jaintia Hills and the Garo Hills districts.