JCILPS announces reprieve till Jul 19
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 16 2015 :
It is hard to believe that the State Government would introduce and pass a Bill which can effectively safeguard the common interest of indigenous people, said the JCILPS.
Meanwhile JCILPS has declared public curfew on all Government offices and non-local people with effect from July 19 .
Until and unless a new Bill is passed, JCILPS together with the people would carry on the mass protest movement even if it takes one year, not just three months, to get the Bill passed, said a statement mailed by JCILPS assistant media coordinator Md Kheiruddin Shah.
Nonetheless, it appealed to one and all not to call any bandh or general strike at least till July 19 in view of Idul-Fitr and Rath Yatra (Kang) festivals.
Whereas the JCILPS appealed to introduce and pass a new Bill after convening a special session of the Assembly, the Government limited the special session to a single day.
The Government"s announcement to draft and pass a new Bill within three months is not convincing enough.
If the Government has the necessary political will, four or five days is long enough to get a new Bill passed, it said.
There is already a 282-paged document which contains all the recommendations prepared by the all political parties" committee over a span of six months in addition to a five-point document submitted by the JCILPS.
A new Bill can be finalized from the existing Bill by deleting unwanted sections and adding certain provisions in accordance to the collective wish of the people.
As such, the Government"s proposal to pass a new Bill within three months lacks rationale, it alleged.
It also appealed to all the protesters to relax their agitation for essential services, religious functions and media.
Pointing out that one silly mistake can lead the legitimate movement astray, the joint committee urged all protesters to avoid abusive or provocative or communal languages.