Consultative meeting on delimitation held
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 30 2020:
A consultative meeting of about 14 tribal organisations has resolved to pursue the delimitation issue legally as well as by lobbying with the authorities concerned.
According to a statement of All Tribal Rights' Protection Forum Manipur (ATRPFM), a consultative meeting was organised today at RNBA Centre Church, Tarung in Imphal West attended by 14 tribal organisations of different tribes of the State.
Former Members of Parliament BD Behring and Mani Charenamei and social worker Ramthing Hungyo spoke about delimitation issues as resource persons.
They said, carrying out a delimitation exercise is Constitutionally mandated under Article 82 of the Constitution of India.
This is not about tribe or non-tribe but it's Constitutionally mandated to carry out delimitation exercises after every census.
Under Article 82, the Parliament by law enacts a Delimitation Act after every census and constitutes a Delimitation Commission for demarcation of boundaries of the Parliamentary and State Assembly Constituencies.
The most recent delimitation of Constituencies has been done on the basis of 2001 census figures under the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002, said the resource persons.
They further said that four North Eastern States, namely, Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were left out from the most recent delimitation exercise due to various political and other reasons.
The Union Home Ministry and the Delimitation Commission of India are now processing to carry out the delimitation exercise for the left out four States, however the valley based organisations and political parties are strongly opposing it.
They have also filed a PIL in the High Court of Manipur.
It may be mentioned here that the judgement given by the Gauhati High Court Imphal Branch in 2007 to stay the exercise of delimitation was later invalidated by the Supreme Court, they added.
"The so called defect in the Census 2001 in some of the hill subdivisions have been rectified and final figures have been worked out, however, valley based organisations and political parties are claiming that there are abnormalities and defects in the Census 2001 which is baseless," said the resource persons.
The leaders of the tribal organisations who participated in the meeting resolved to pursue the delimitation issue both legally and also by submitting memoranda and representations to the authorities concerned viz.
President of India, Prime Minister, Chairperson, Delimitation Commission of India, Chief Election Commissioner of India etc.
It was further resolved by the participants more than 34 recognised tribes of Manipur shall be the signatories to the joint memoranda and representations and the ATRPFM is entrusted to pursue the matter.
"If the Delimitation exercise is not carried out as mandated by the Constitution, and the Constitutional rights of the tribal people is suppressed, the tribal people shall jointly explore the means to overcome the same including agitations," it stated.
The meeting was attended by ADC Members, leaders of AMTU, Mate Tribe Union, Kharam Union, Maring Tribe, Kom Union Manipur, Chiru Union, United Zou Organisations, MTU GHQ, KKSDDA, Liangmei Naga Council, PTC-GHQ, Zeliangrong Union (A,M,N), ZU (CCP), etc.
The Chairmen of Village Authorities, social workers, former MPs, Ex-MLAs, social activists etc also participated in the said meeting.
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