NEW DELHI, March 10: Rajya Sabha MP Sanajaoba Leishemba raised the issue of the historically significant Kabaw Valley, now part of Myanmar, in the Upper House, urging the government to either facilitate its return to Manipur or ensure the continuation of compensation payments from Myanmar as per the Treaty of Yandaboo (1826) and the Kabaw Valley Agreement (1834).

Speaking during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, MP Sanajaoba emphasized that Kabaw Valley, spanning 22,210 square kilometers, was an integral part of Manipur and had been under Manipuri rule since 1450. He claimed that the valley was “gifted” to Burma (now Myanmar) by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, during a meeting with Burmese Prime Minister U Nu on March 3, 1953. According to Sanajaoba, this decision was made without the consent of the Manipur state government, which he referred to as “the darkest day in Manipur’s history.”

The MP also highlighted that the decision disregarded the historical agreements surrounding Kabaw Valley. Under the 1834 Kabaw Valley Agreement, Burma was obligated to pay a monthly compensation of Sicca 500 to the then King of Manipur, Maharaj Gambhir Singh. This payment continued until 1949, even after Manipur’s merger into the Indian Union. Myanmar continued the compensation payments to the Government of India until 1953, when Nehru allegedly transferred the valley to Myanmar, ignoring these historical agreements.

Sanajaoba called Nehru’s decision a grave mistake and stated that the people of Manipur “will never forgive” the former Prime Minister and the Congress Party for this act. He urged the Rajya Sabha to intervene and demand either the repatriation of Kabaw Valley to Manipur or the resumption of compensation payments from Myanmar.