JCILPS sticks to 1951 base year
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 10 2018:
The JCILPS has decried that a handful of people lodged a complaint with Central Government against the Manipur People (MP) Bill in addition to fomenting public opinion against the same Bill.
Speaking to media persons at their Sega Road, Konjeng Hazari Leikai office today, JCILPS convenor Yumnamcha Dilipkumar said that MP Bill 2018 was passed after several rounds of consultations were held with all the communities of the State since 2015 .
It is a matter of grave concern that a handful of people who speak Bengali and Hindi were fomenting public uproar particularly at Jiribam demanding adoption of 1971 as cut off base year in place of 1951, Dilipkumar said and added that the same demand is unacceptable.
A Silchar based Bengali newspaper published a report which claimed that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has agreed to change the cut off base year to 1971, said the convenor and asserted that they would take up befitting action against the baseless news report.
People's movement to enforce ILPS or a similar mechanism in Manipur started as early as 1980 .
With the establishment of JCILPS, all the people have been struggling collectively to get a Constitutional mechanism which can effectively safeguard indigenous people of the land from the onslaught Overlooking the fact that there is a Government in the State, some people went from Thangal Keithel to New Delhi directly to lodge complaints against the MP Bill 2018 .
They should not adopt such approach, he said.
Even if the Bill becomes an Act and the same is enforced, no non-local people would be ousted from the State.
But they would be required to possess passes or permits, Dilipkumar said.
Before the PMP Bill 2015 was passed, JCILPS and the then Government signed an MoU for establishment of Manipur State Population Commission within a year.
Now three years have passed and there is a new Government in the State.
JCILPS would soon submit an ultimatum to the State Government on the same matter, he said.
He continued that JCILPS is satisfied with the security measures taken up by the State Government in the wake of the publication of final draft NRC in Assam and possible large scale infiltration into the State.
The State Government should prepare an NRC for Manipur based on the data and records of 1951, he demanded.
To a query, the JCILPS convenor said that they have been working to talk with those people who have been protesting the MP Bill 2018 .