Kuki students oppose to hill bandh on TET
Source: Hueiyen News Service /UNA

Imphal, September 23 2012: TERMING AS 'gimmick' the bandh announced by the Joint Committee of Hill District Students' Organisation (JCHDSO) without Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO)'s knowledge, five branches of the Kuki student body have declared that it would not be supporting the bandh.

JCHDSO of Zeliangrong Students' Union Manipur (ZSUM), Senapati District Students' Association (SDSA), Churachandpur District Students' Union (CDSU), Naga Students' Union Chandel (NSUC) and Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) yesterday announced for a 48-hour total bandh in the five hill districts of Manipur from midnight of September 23 in protest against the failure of the state government to keep its assurances over setting up of Teacher's Eligibility Test (TET) form distribution centres as well as examination centres in all the hill districts headquarters.

However, the five branches of KSO has maintained that announcement of the bandh without the knowledge of KSO is an instance of opposing to tribal solidarity.

It may be noted here that KSO had earlier announced a similar 48-hour bandh over the same demand.

But the bandh was called off following assurance given by the State Government, although the latter has alleged of not translating its assurance into action.

A statement signed jointly by presidents of the five branches of KSO today said Kuki student bodies have decided not to support the 48-hour bandh being called by JCHDSO and informed that KSO branches unanimously endorsed the agreement reached between KSO general headquarters and the Education Minister on September 18 .

The joint statement observed that Kuki students are utterly dismayed over the intention of the five hill district based student bodies to impose a 48-hour general strike over the issue of non-holding of TET examination in the district headquarters of the state even after Education Minister M Okendro himself had given assurance to open TET exam centres in all the district headquarters in all TET exams in future.

The joint statement lamented that KSO was not taken into confidence by the five student organizations calling the bandh.

The KSO has always made it a point to consult all the tribal student organizations wherever tribal issues are concerned.

This gimmick of the five student bodies to call the bandh without KSO's knowledge is opposed to tribal solidarity.

The statement further asserted that KSO had consulted ANSAM when it decided to take up the issue with the government regarding TET.

So, the Kuki students were taken aback by the intention of some hill district student bodies to call a general strike on the same matter.

Asking where the other hill-based student bodies were when KSO first raised the issue, the joint statement said that the Kuki students fail to understand the logic behind the proposed bandh strike, and cannot help but conclude that it is the handiwork of some vested interests.

The Kuki � is a generic terminology which stands for all the Chin Kuki Mizo tribes in Manipur and KSO will always work for the overall interest of the cognate/kindred tribes of the Kukis, the statement added.

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