The demand was placed by the UNC before Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh when a delegation of the group met here.
"We appeal for imposing President's rule in Manipur as the state government has failed completely on all fronts and law order has deteriorated. Creation of seven new districts is a ploy by the Manipur Chief Minister for electoral gains," senior UNC leader Adani Mao said at a press conference here.
Claiming that violence has taken place in several areas of Manipur, Convener for Joint Naga Civil Societies, Lakpachui Siro, accused the Congress-led state government of disrupting peace by creating seven new districts for "electoral gains" ahead of the assembly elections next year.
"The state government is going to upgrade Sadar Hills and Jiribam regions to full-fledged districts without consulting the Nagas who inhabit the areas. Precious lands, which belong to them, are being snatched away and there are unrest in the state," he said.
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The UNC has demanded immediate release of its President Gaidon Kamei and Publicity Secretary Stephen lamkang who they said have been arrested "arbitrarily".
A tripartite talk involving a delegation each from the
Manipur government, the UNC and the Ministry of Home Affairs was scheduled to be held in Delhi on November 15 on the current situation of the state but the state government did not send anyone to attend that meeting, Siro said.
The decision has sharply divided the state's three main communities which are Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis. Though Meitei and Kuki groups have welcomed the move, the UNC has been protesting against it.
The UNC claim that the decision would bifurcate ancestral lands of Nagas in Manipur.
The Chief Minister said the move was aimed at addressing a long-standing demand of the majority Meitei community and the minority Kukis.
Out of the nine districts of Manipur, four districts -- Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishenpur -- are valley districts, and the five rest -- Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, Chandel and Churachandpur -- are hill districts.
The five hill districts are tribal districts. Valley districts are smaller with a high density of population but hill districts are sparsely populated.
Yesterday, the situation in Manipur remained tense with violence spreading to Senapati district where miscreants torched two vehicles even as the Chief Minister appealed for peace among different ethnic groups of the state.