Meet resolves to take up ILPS issue with President
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 02 2016: A people's convention held today in connection with the mass movement for enactment of a Constitutional safeguard for protection of the indigenous people of Manipur has resolved to urge the President of India to give assent to the three Bills passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31 last year.

A people's convention held at MDU Hall here adopted a resolution towards this end.

The convention participated by many intellectuals and civil society leaders was presided by JCILPS convenor Khomdram Ratan and it was moderated by senior Advocate Khaidem Mani.

The meeting decided to constitute a committee with representatives of different political parties including the Chief Minister in order to lobby with the Government of India so that the Protection of Manipur People's Bill, 2015, the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2015 are granted assent without any further delay.

It was also decided to send a delegation of JCILPS to pursue the same issue.

To urge the concerned authorities to carry out a special summary revision of the electoral rolls of Manipur ahead of the IMC election and bar 'outsiders' from contesting elections and casting votes in Manipur was another resolution of the convention.

To launch different modes of mass agitation against the State Government's failure to implement the five-point agreement it signed with JCILPS on August 25 last year and the deliberate act of keeping the three Bills in limbo was another resolution of the public meeting.

It further resolved to carry on the ongoing drive of identifying non-local people and also to intensify non-cooperation movement against non-local people.

The meeting then entrusted JCILPS the task of transforming all the resolutions into action.

Speaking at the convention, Khomdram Ratan lamented that no MLA or political party has so far bothered to take up the issue of the three Bills with the Government of India.

Indigenous Manipuri people are now facing a fate similar to the one experienced by indigenous Tripuris who are now living as refugees in their own land, Ratan said.

"To save ourselves from such a grim scenario, we must wage a sustained mass movement", he exhorted.

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