Ally KPA accuses Govt of persecuting tribals
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, April 26 2023: The Kuki People's Alliance (KPA), which is one of the allies of the BJP government, has accused the government of persecuting the tribal people in the state.

In a meeting held on Tuesday, KPA discussed the issue of demolition of over a half century old Church constructed at Tribal Colony, Checkon in Imphal East district, eviction drive in tribal-dominated forests, environmental concerns and the recent impasse over reservation of seats at RIMS.

In connection with the demolition of the Church, KPA stated that Christianity in Manipur is nearly all exclusive to the tribals in the hills, despite constituting almost 50 percent of the population of Manipur, but have only 33 percent political representation.

It also stated that the recent demolition drive in the wee hours of April 11 of the Church at Checkon was a corollary to demolition of the Tribal Colony itself.

Ill-conceived and motivated by a majoritarian exclusivism, both the actions run counter to principles enunciated in the Constitution of the country itself, the principles of accommodation towards, reservation for, and efforts towards upliftment of the weaker sections of society, it added.

Stating that the Tribal Colony was envisaged in the late 50s to accommodate the lowest of the lowest rungs of government employees, even among the ST category, the KPA said that the stone inscription at the site of the Colony clearly stated, "This land is given by the Maharaja of Manipur for construction of Government quarters for the Scheduled Tribe Government employees".

"What we see in the present government is nothing but elitism, arrogance, the chauvinism of a particular community, majoritarian dominance, and to whom any benefit to Scheduled Tribe communities in the form of allocated quarters or places of Christian worship is an eyesore," the KPA stated.

The KPA further stated that a portion of the same land on which a Christian Church was built is now claimed, after 60 years, as being government land and demolished overnight.

It could have easily been regularised.

Sixty years is enough to invoke the rule of tacit acquiescence; of adverse possession; or of naturalisation of an event.

Even in nature, it is an accepted environmental norm that 60 years is what it takes for nature to adapt itself to change, it added.

KPA also alleged that the Manipur government is sectarian in religious and social outlook, anti-tribal, anti-poor and anti-hills are well demonstrated.

On forest issues, the KPA stated that another area of discord is the present government's activity with regard to forests vis-a-vis the tribal communities living in the hills.

The Forest-related statutes (The Forest Act of India 1927 and its consequent Orders and notifications) accept and acknowledge the existence of individuals and communities already living on the land and that their rights were not to be curtailed.

It, therefore makes it incumbent on the part of the government to demarcate the settlements and their area of socio-economic activity for the purpose of excluding them from the proposed Reserved Forests/Protected Forests (RF/PF), it said while adding that "The onus is on the government department to verify the existence of the forest residents and not on the residents to prove their existence.

It is therefore a grave irony that the villagers are made to produce patta and jamabandi".

In connection with the environmental issue, KPA stated that it is on all fours with the drive for the conservation and protection of forests and wildlife.

"Poppy cultivation and drug trade are not only illegal but a scourge on the environment, and a threat to the well-being of society.

It must be eradicated and there should be no question about it," it added.

Maintaining that view and standpoint of ATSUM on the recent reservation issue is well justified and it must be rectified, KPA opined that the brazen flouting of constitutionally mandated quota reservations in government jobs for tribal is another issue that seems to have the tacit approval if not the direct complicity of the government for a population that has a 50 per cent tribal component, the reservation quota for STs is pegged at 30-35 per cent and statistics show only 20 per cent employment ratio for tribals in government jobs.

The Kuki People's Alliance is a newly formed political party in Manipur recognised by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

It won two seats from Saikul Assembly Constituency and Singhat Assembly Constituency in the 2022 Manipur Legislative Assembly election and pledged support to the state BJP with its two MLAs - Kimneo Haokip Hangshing of Saikul and Chinlunthang from Singhat.

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