Step back , take honest stance: NPLFM to Govt
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network

Imphal, May 14 2016 : The 2nd general body meeting of the Naga Political Leaders Forum Manipur (NPLFM) held here today strongly warned the Manipur Government to step back and take an honest stance on its plan to enact the ILP related three Bills.

The meet was organized at the Tarung community hall here in the wake of the recent decision of the State Government to depute an all-party delegation to prevail upon the Central leaders to convert the three Bills into Acts.

The Manipur Government said the Bills intended to protect the interests of all indigenous communities in the State.

The tribals have dismissed it as an unwarranted assertion.

The all-party delegation is set to leave Manipur for New Delhi on May 16.All Naga political leaders from the hill districts, representatives from various Naga civil societies such as United Naga Council, Naga tribe hohos, All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM), a host of prominent leaders and intellectuals were present at the meet.

The speakers at the gathering averred that the under- lying basis of the Bills passed by the State Assembly on August 31 last year is 'highly questionable.' They insisted that views of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) were not taken on board on the 'anti-tribal' Bills.

"It should have been referred to the committee." The speakers further contended that the Naga People's Front (NPF) was not right in skipping the meeting of the all political parties convened by the Manipur Government.

"They (NPF) should have attended the meeting and opposed the decision openly.

They are showing opposition only in newspapers.

This is totally useless," they said.

The leaders criticised NPF for being 'paper tigers.' The forum also dashed off a memorandum to the Prime Minister urging him not take any kind of action that can lead to the conversion of the three 'anti-tribal' Bills.

The meet adopted seven key resolutions.

The three Bills do affect the interests of the tribals of Manipur.

The Legislative process has, in many cases, followed the procedures laid down in Article 371C of the Indian Constitution.

And the bills are misnomered as money bills.

Therefore, the Naga Political Leaders Forum, Manipur adopted the following resolutions: The Protection of Manipur People (PMP) Bill, 2015 which is supposed to base on National Registration of Citizens, 1951, Census Report 1951 and the village Directory 1951 for defection of migrants a for determining indigenous people are found to be invalid documents for the purpose (according to Assistant Director of Ministry of Home Affairs, Directorate of Census Operations, Manipur).

NRC is non- available, the entries of Census Report of villages and numbers of population etc.

Therefore, the Bill passed without those documents is opposed and it is deserved to be rejected.

The three Bills (The Protection of Manipur People Bill, the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill 2015 and the Manipur Shops and Establishment (Second Amendment) Bill 20150) are opposed for not consulting the Hill Areas Committee which has a statutory power and function to be consulted under section 4(1) and (2) of Article 371C of Indian Constitution and paras 3 and 10 of its, second Schedule.

The paras are particularly applicable to Bill No.17 which has dealt with the matters of land and inheritance of property.

Land is property of inheritance in tribal society of Manipur.

Moreover, the bills which will be implemented, if they became Acts, in all parts of hill areas will "Wholly" (see Section 4(2)) affect the area.

Therefore, the State Cabinet decision stating that the three Bills "passed by the State Legislative Assembly on 31/08/2015 will not affect the interests of the Hill Areas of Manipur as already protection under Article 371C of the constitution of India" speaks of it ignorance.

So, any Bill having such native should be sent to Hill Areas has not done its statutory obligation, so, the Bills are opposed and branded as 'anti-tribal' Bills.

The flimsy reason given for not consulting the Hill Areas Committee is that the three Bills are Money Bills.

Yet the Bill no 16 only has the matter of expenditure that will be charged on the consolidated Fund of the State.

And the bill particularly Bill Nos.17 and 18 do lack Money Bill criteria laid down under Articles 110 and 199 of the Indian Constitution.

The criteria are the imposition, abolition, remission, alteration a regulation of any tax; the regulation of borrowing of money or the giving of any guarantee by the State, the amendment of the law with respect to any financial obligations undertaken or to be undertaken by the state; the custody of Consolidated Fund or the Contingency Fund of the State, the payment of money into or the withdrawal of money from any such Fund; the appropriation of money out of the Consolidated Fund of the State; the declaring of any expenditure to be expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State, the increasing of the amount of any such expenditure; the receipt of money on account of the Consolidated Fund of the State or the public account of the State or the custody, or issue of such money; and any matter accidental to any of the matters specified in sub � clauses (a) to (f) .

Therefore, the contention that the three Bills are Money Bills is refuted and treated as blatant lies and deceptive and dubious assertion.

Those tribal MLAs who were elected to represent the tribal people in Manipur Assembly and also to defend their rights had miserably failed to do so both inside and outside the house.

Instead of their boundant responsibility to protect the right of the tribal people their lands and properties, they had been signatories to the three 'anti-tribal' Bills and two resolutions against the Nagas which were passed on the August 31, 2015.Consequent upon the passing of the three Anti-Tribal Bills there have been strong reactions from tribals were martyred particularly in Churachandpur and whose dead bodies are still lying in Churachandpur Civil Hospital.

Therefore, they should resign enmasse from their respective memberships with immediate effect in the larger interest of the tribal people of Manipur.

The NPLFM after thread bare discussion came to conclusion that it would be wise on the part of the Government of Manipur to withdraw those three 'anti-tribal' Bills which alone will allow to perform respectable burial to those nine tribal martyrs whose mortal remains are still preserved at the mosque of the Churachandpur District Civil Hospital before sending all political party delegation to Delhi.

This forum also seriously views the all political party delegation to Delhi without settling the burning issue in the state because tribal people en-mass opposed the 3 Bills.

And the decision to send all political parties delegation to Delhi will not be binding on the tribal people.

The NPLFM fully supports the 48-hour bandh called by the JAC against three Anti � Tribal Bills from midnight of May 16 to midnight of May 18 in protest against the all political party delegation to Delhi.

Further, urges tribal people in all hill districts to extend cooperation to this call of JAC for observing 48-hour bandh in support of its demand.

The NPLFM while welcoming the Indo � Naga Framework agreement signed on 3rd August 2015 urges both the negotiating parties to expedite peace process for honorable final solution at the earliest.

NPLFM general body meeting also strongly condemned the infamous resolutions passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31, 2015 which is obstacle and provocative in nature to the hard earn peace process.

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