Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 10:
Explaining its stand on calling a day of protest today, Delimitation Watch Manipur (DWM) has categorically stated that it is to send out a clear and emphatic message to the Government of India to rectify the 'census blunder' which is the case of the present issue.
In a statement made available to the press, convenor of DWM Heikrujam Nabashyam said that it is painful on the part of the DWM to call a day of protest but it was necessary to send out a message against the census blunder.
While calling for a day of protest, DWM has asked the Government of India to rectify the blunder before going ahead with the delimitation process.
For example, the districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and Thoubal which have maximum population growth, being the plain urban centres, is shown by the census authority to have a nominal decadel growth of 10 percent as in America or Europe whereas for the districts of Senapati, Chandel and Ukhrul, the growth rate shown is exceedingly high and beyond any imagination like in the case of Bangladesh.
So the census authority has cheated the public and all concerned should have been penalised.
However, the State Govt has let them scot-free, he rued.
He further observed that Manipur may be driven to a fancy for an emotional issue identified as a National interest of a community.
However, what is more interesting is that the present issue is created by the fictitious census and this has divided the public into losers and winners.
This is the problem.
''DWM has noted and understood different views on the delimitation process.
But we believe that we must share the different views among ourselves across the table and understand the real issue.
Our contention is that once we let go an unjustified act it would do nobody any good.
We believe that what is important is not who is going to gain or lost but how the game is to be played to remove any misunderstanding among the indigenous people.
That is the game spirit', Nabashyam said.
He further said that DWM do not believe in divisive politics.
For the last 20 centuries all of us are part of history of this beautiful place.
Let us not allow anything to disrupt this common heritage.
DWM also appealed to all sections of the indigenous society to put aside the idea of community exclusiveness.
'We believed our efforts should be to stand against the influx of illegal immigrants which need our undivided co-ordinated attention for the future of our children and for all of us', Nabashyam said.