Boycott I-Day on Kuki bodies lips
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 08, 2012: Apart from voicing opposition to the inclusion of some Chandel district pockets under Thoubal district for the September 13 Panchayat election, a number of Kuki organisations have demanded revocation of the Government decision to reserve Serou Gram Panchayat as a scheduled tribe seat.

briefing mediapersons this morning at Sugnu Tribal office of KSO, representatives of Kuki People's Forum (KPF/Chandel district), Kuki Chiefs' Association (KCA/Gunpi Area), Kuki Women's Human Rights Organisation (KWHO/Gunpi Area) and Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO/Gunpi Block) affirmed that failure to take suitable measures on the issue would compel these organisations to boycott the forthcoming Independence Day celebration as well as launch intense agitation.

Strongly opposing the Government's decision to include some hill/tribal areas in the forthcoming panchayat polls inspite of these locations falling under the hill area administration, the representatives described the move as a sinister ploy to gradually grab the lands of the hill people which amount to disregarding age-old tradition and customary practice of the hill people.

Demanding immediate revision of the Government decision failing which boycott and agitation would be launched, they also decried inclusion of tribal areas in the panchayat election as detrimental to interest of the tribal people for which the hill people would staunchly object.

Even though decision to include hill pockets in the panchayat election might be intended for double-pronged development of the tribal people absence of a clear-cut administrative demarcation between the hill and plain area will not be acceptable to the tribals, maintained the representatives.

Further highlighting that Constitution of India bestows only one voting right of an adult citizen, they opined that ambiguity in the democratic rights of the tribal citizens by covering them under ambit of the panchayat election is not only an affront to the Indian Constitution but belittling interest and aspiration of the tribal people.

They further asserted that their voting right be consecrated to democratic exercises conducted in the hill areas only and reiterated the demand for annulling the decision to reserve Serou Gram Panchayat as a Scheduled Tribe seat on the ground that Serou do not come under the hill area administration.

KPF vice president Hemang, KCA general secretary John Doujapao and KWHRA chairperson Kimboi Haokip spoke on behalf of the organisations.

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