Lamka, June 4 (NNN): A public awareness campaign was held today at Thanlon by the Joint Action Committee Against Anti-Tribal Bills (JAC) which was attended by people coming from about 35 villages within the Thanlon subdivision of Churachandpur district.
In the programme hosted by Thanlon Village Authority, the committee as well as leaders from various tribe councils spoke at length about the anti-tribal nature of the three bills, the JAC informed in a statement. Among others, the participating organisations included United Zou Organization, Hmar Inpui, Thadou Inpi General Headquarters, Zomi Council, and ATSUM.
The three bills are the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015; the Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015; and the Manipur Shops & Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015.
The speakers stressed on the need for unity among the tribal people of Manipur in the collective fight against the “communal and anti-tribal policies” of the Manipur government.
The event ended with the adoption of a declaration by the people of Thanlon subdivision for the protection and promotion of Tribal Land, Rights and Identity.
The declaration strongly condemned the three bills and maintained that the bills “shall never be allowed under any circumstances to be implemented in the tribal territories/areas”.
In this regard, the resolution called upon the Manipur State Assembly to immediately scrap the bills.
Terming the bills as being “detrimental to the survival of the tribal people and their territories in Manipur”, the declaration stated, “We re-affirmed our commitment to our demand for a separate administration outside of the Manipur Government to protect tribal rights and identity under the Constitution of India; the Union Government shall be persuaded for the same.”
Meanwhile, on the same day, a meeting was held at the office of the Mizo People Convention at Hmuia Veng, Lamka which was attended by leaders of the JAC as well as Hmar Inpui, Mizo People Convention, United Naga Council and Zomi Council along with leaders of various tribe councils under Zomi Council.
The meeting deliberated on the future course of action to be executed in the collective fight for tribal rights and identity with the intention of intensifying the Manipur tribal movement in the days to come.
“With the ‘All Political Party’ delegation having arrived in New Delhi to persuade the Union Government to give President’s assent to the three anti-tribal bills, the JAC would like to humbly request all tribal people of Manipur residing in and around New Delhi to be vigilant and be ever ready to respond to the calls made by the Manipur Tribals’ Forum, Delhi (MTFD) as we ramp up our agitation and raise our collective voices against the “anti-tribal” Manipur Government,” the statement urged.
