'Massive increase of voters in Kuki Zo areas concerning'
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, January 27 2024: Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MTU) and Manipur International Youth Centre (MIYC) stated that the massive increase in the number of voters in the final electoral rolls related to Kuki-Zo inhabited areas is concerning for all the indigenous communities.

A joint release issued by MTU and MIYC stated that such increase is a vivid example of snatching the politics, land, resource and economy of the indigenes by refugees coming from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

This need to be fought by all the indigenes of the state and not only by the Meeteis settling in the valley, the release continued.

Pointing out exponential growth of voters in Kuki Zo inhabited areas such as Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Pherzawl and Tengnoupal within short span of time, the joint release said that Churachandpur has the highest voters among the hill districts with 1,82,732 voters, Kangpokpi has 1,03,563 voters and 34,897 voters in Pherzawl.

The indigenous people are drowning in the population war waged by the Outsiders while the power greedy politicians and the government are enlisting the foreigners in the voters' list, the joint release denounced.

Stating that the inclusion of Meetei in ST list is one of the most important demands to save the land and economy of the indigenous Meetei, the joint release demanded removal of non-indigenous Kuki-Zo from the ST list.

In Mizoram, outsiders, with 1951 as based year, are restricted from buying or sell land and the Assam government deported outsiders from Bangladesh, who stayed in 8,000 hectares of land in early January.

Yet, the Government of Manipur could not take up initiatives for protection of their land, the joint release contended, while recalling the burning of 16 forest offices following attempt to expel those Kukis encroaching in reserved and protected forest.

Regarding the implementation of NRC, the joint release said that they will not accept the way of implementation of NRC in Assam.

After signing the Assam Accord in 1985, the process was conducted from 2015 to 19.In the first release of NRC in 2017, 40 lakh people were declared as outsiders.

Later, in 2019, it announced that only 19 lakh people were outsiders.

However, the aforementioned 19 lakh outsiders are yet to be deported to Bangladesh, making the NRC futile.

So, a written assurance for detection and deportation of outsiders who had come from Myanmar and Bangladesh need to be taken up if NRC is to be implemented in the state, the joint release suggested, while adding that the present government should strictly enforce Foreigners' Act 1946 to thwart the influx of illegal immigrants.

Foreigner Tribunal courts should also be established to adjudicate cases related to illegal immigrants, the joint release opined, while denouncing the failure of the government to protect the indigenous from the influx of outsiders even though India spent around 34.6986 billion dollars for defence with special emphasis on North East.

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