Source: The Sangai Express / S Singlianmang Guite
Lamka, October 12 2010:
The Committee on Protection of Tribal Areas, Manipur (CoPTAM) today announced its decision to boycott all elected representatives from the hills, on the alleged ground that they have not done enough to redress the grievances of the tribals.
The call to boycott the elected representatives was adopted here at the CoPTAM's summit where all frontal organisations of the hill tribes have been invited.
Other decisions adopted during the summit include intensification of the ongoing bandh and closure of Governmental offices and vehicles; to leave the demand for devolution of adequate power to the ADCs to the elected MDCs; to jack up the demands made till date with an alternative arrangement if the Government still ignores them by October end and unconditional supports to the movement initiated by CoPTAM by all the frontal bodies including the tribal apex bodies.
CoPTAM's summit here today was a landmark in itself as many proponents of the tribal cause including advocates and representatives from the apex tribal bodies, for the first time went on record to openly denounce the tacit stand adopted by their representatives to the tribal cause.
A handful of Govt employees who are involved in the current Census exercise, also related their side of the story wherein they disclosed to have received strict instructions to reduce the population growth to certain percentage.
The double standard adopted by Chief Minister who reportedly told representatives of CoPTAM yesterday that he had no knowledge about the instruction to reduce the tribal population was exposed as well by an enumerator who spoke on the occasion declaring before the gathering that he had received instructions to delete the names of 11 citizens from the village he was assigned for enumeration , supposedly at the behest of the Chief Minister.