CCpur JAC reaffirms its stand
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 10 2016: Affirming its charter of demands, the JAC against anti-tribal Bills pledged not to compromise on its stand 'until the matter with the three 'anti-tribal Bills' is resolved as desired by the public.

In a statement, the JAC deeply regretted the need to time and again educate the tribal Ministers/MLAs on the anti-tribal nature of the three Bills passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31, 2015 viz, the Protec- tion of Manipur Peoples Bill, 2015; the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 .

The three 'anti-tribal Bills' were passed without any opposition from the 20-odd tribal MLAs in spite of continued warnings by various tribal bodies including the All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) of the sinister designs and dreadful implications of the Bills on the rights and privileges of the tribal people of Manipur, it said.

The tribal MLAs conveniently ignored the cries of their tribal brethren who have elected them in the first place and chose to give their approvals for the passing of the three Bills in the State Assembly.

Moreover, they have also refused to acknowledge that nine 'tribal martyrs' have sacrificed their lives to voice their discontent towards the 'anti-tribal Bills' while continuing to accuse the tribal people of "creating issues out of nothing" .

The JAC reiterated that the three 'anti-tribal Bills' do really impinge upon the rights and interests of the tribal people of Manipur, and had submitted a six-page document pinpointing the same in detail to the Chief Minister of Manipur on January 11, 2016, it said.

A four-page Charter of Demands has also been submitted to the Government of Manipur on November 9, 2015.With no response from the State Government regarding the demands, the same document was re-submitted on December 29, 2015 for which any sort of positive response is still awaited, it said.

The JAC was formed on September 2, 2015 to represent all tribal communities of Manipur and spearhead all issues relating to the three 'anti-tribal Bills.' Since then, the JAC which is comprised of members from various tribal communities has tirelessly been championing tribal land, rights and identity.

Just as the 60 MLAs of the Manipur Legislative Assembly represent the 2.72 million people of Manipur, the JAC represents all tribals of Manipur.

However, the difference lies in the fact that while certain 'representatives' dictate their terms on the people they are supposed to represent, the JAC spearheads the peoples' movement in constant consultation with the public, it added.

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