ATSUM rants at CM for justifying Amit Shah's conduct
Source: Chronicle News Service / Newmai News Network
Imphal, February 04 2022:
All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) said "it is extremely perturbed by the Chief Minister's statement defending the insult meted out to our tribal political leaders by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah during their recent visit to him" .
The apex tribal students' body of Manipur said that such an "undemocratic brahminical practice" was a shocking disgrace that "completely negates" the principles of equality enshrined in our constitution.
ATSUM said the Home Minister ought to explain and apologise to the "tribal population of our state for mistreating our representatives in that manner" .
In a statement, TSUM said that it was a huge disappointment that "our own Chief Minister, N Biren Singh and Minister Th Biswajit, instead of demanding justice for such an undignified discriminative conduct defended the same by even embracing the discrimination as our collective culture" .
The students' body further said that it was an embarrassment to learn that "all our respected Meitei political leaders wilfully practice this caste-based behaviour towards the Union Ministers in Delhi" .
It added, "We, the tribals of Manipur, do not practice any such discrimination among ourselves or towards others and hence this discrimination to our representatives is not acceptable to us.
We condemn Union Home Minister Amit Shah's discriminative conduct and the deliberate false justification of the Chief Minister and the irrelevant defence of Minister Th Biswajit" .
The Union then alleged that the Chief Minister has repeatedly betrayed the interest of the tribals in Manipur.
It further said that even after vehemently refusing to table the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) recommended ADC Bill 2021 "illegally, we had trusted his Government and signed ah agreement on November 25" .
Following the agreement, ATSUM had temporarily suspended our agitation but the State Government's assurance that the ADC Bill 2021 shall be introduced by the Government in the upcoming winter assembly session, 2021 was not honoured despite repeated reminders, the tribal student body pointed out.
ATSUM also alleged that the BJP led government has deliberately betrayed the tribals repeatedly and displayed its anti-tribal position.
"This is creating and increasing our sense of insecurity within the BJP led State Government.
We condemn such anti-tribal outburst and wish to remind our Chief Minister to uphold our tribal interest as equal.
As reported, chief minister Biren slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks about a Manipuri delegation being asked to remove their shoes before entering Amit Shah's house.
Responding to Rahul Gandhi's remark, Biren said: "It's an age old tradition in Manipuri culture to remove our shoes while we enter somebody's house.
Those lap-dogs spreading it to be some form of insult are oblivious to Manipuri culture.
Rahul Gandhi may kindly take note of some Manipuri culture before speaking about Manipur" .
Works minister T Biswajit Singh also criticised Rahul Gandhi asking him to stop 'misleading' the nation.
"For a person who admires Italy, will never understand India's culture! Dear Rahul Gandhi, stop misleading the nation! Spare Manipur and try your techniques somewhere else! With every such steps, you are inching closer to Congress Mukt Manipur," T Biswajit said.
Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, during the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha had claimed that a Manipuri delegation was insulted by home minister Amit Shah; "Few days back, an 'agitated' Manipuri delegation told me that they were insulted by the home minister when they went to meet him at his residence in Delhi.
When asked, they said that they were made to take off their shoes outside before entering the home minister's house.
But after entering the house they found that the home minister himself in his chappals," Rahul Gandhi said.
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