"RHYOM endorses boycott of Govt's Go to Hills mission"
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 19 2021: Rongmei Naga Youth Organization, Manipur (RNYOM) has endorsed the decision of ATSUM to boycott the "Go to Hills" mission of the BJP-led government.

In a release, RNYOM asserted that failure of the government to show any sincerity on the application of Article 371(C) of India constitution in the last 50 years of attaining Manipur's statehood is the root cause for the present socio-political turmoil.

Stopgap hill-valley solidarity programmes cannot be trusted anymore, the organisation said, while alleging that the state government, political parties and individual leaders (Hill valley) with vested interest have always stood in the way of growth and development in the hill areas.

The current political scenario in Manipur is signalling a major political shift and new outlook as the hill people are awakened and shaken to the root for better or for worse, the release said, while adding that the so called "Go to Hills" trumpets unity of Meitei with the tribal hill people whereas the politics of the present government led by the maj'ority valley-based politicians are lobbying some politicians from the hills areas to adopt and subscribe to the new political projection so that the sinister game plan of the Meitei to dominate the whole of Manipur is realised.

RNYOM contended that all the hill areas and its people have been deprived and ignored of all provisions of the centre since Manipur was granted statehood.

The entire hill people are made to permanently subject to the dictate of the valley majority MLAs in such a subtle way that the hill people's representatives could not voice their fundamental rights.

The release continued that all developmental projects and programmes appropriated from the central government have been mostly diverted and concentrated to the development of the valley.

Only few portions or negligible percentage, of the provisions are allocated to and for the development of the Hill areas with intended politics to close the mouths of the people from voicing out their rights.

"The hill tribal people must no longer slumber or remain silent over the cankering politics.

It is high time to wake up, voice out and stand up when the issue hit hot on Us lest we fall forever prey to the politics of the majority", it remarked.

The politics of the so-called "Go to Hills" is simply a diplomatic term to capture the hillareas, to derail and paralyse the distinctive tribal rights empowered upon Hill Areas Committee by an Act of Indian constitution, and also to dismantle the Nagas' political rights and their struggle when India is willing to grant certain practical solution to the protracted Naga political movement.

Considering the aspects of the current political projection, all the hill people, politicians and elite section should oppose, and refrain from subscribing to nefarious politics, stressed the organisation.

It further exhorted all the right-thinking citizens for extending total support towards the boycott call so that people living in the hill areas are not befooled anymore by those in power and the individuals who have selfish motives to sell out the right of the hill people.

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