KKL raises posers on ADG Bill issue
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, December 09 2021: Kangleipak Kanba Lup (KKL), Manipur has charged All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSIM) of turning the controversial Hill Areas Committee (HAC)-proposed ADC Bill into a tribal versus non-tribal issue in Manipur.

It is correct that the existing HAC has moved the speaker to convene a special session of the Assembly to discuss the issue.

But that is for the speaker to decide and not to be coerced through economic blockades and other strong-arm tactics, KKL said.

"The moot point is that very recently a delegation of tribal legislators including the Outer Manipur Member of Parliament had called on the President of India seeking his intervention but upon returnihg to Manipur they had not made a single statement as to what the President had advised them instead.

The second point is the HAC authorised by Article 371 C of the Constitution of India read with the Presidential Order of 1972 does not anywhere specifically indicates that it provides for separate scheme of administration and furthermore it only provides for safeguarding the interest of the Hill areas and does not in any way provide for a different scheme of administration," it pointed out.

KKL continued, "Also the call for a separate Executive Officer to overseer the new Autonomous District Councils is similar to having a separate Chief Secretary for the hill areas and one for the valley which the Constitution of India cannot allow at all.

The question again is what has happened to the demand for inclusion of the hill areas under the 6 th Schedule of the Constitution.

It might be recalled that the then chief minister late RK Ranbir Singh had said 'okay' to the 6th Schedule to be implemented in Manipur subject to local adjustments".

It then questioned, "Is the demand for the 6th Schedule a closed chapter now.

And also why is ATSUM silent on the recent siphoning of funds for developmental works in Senapati and subsequent death threat to four RTI activists of the same district who have sought information of utilisation of the funds from the NSCN-IM".

The Lup then quoted "a statement given by the late works minister and NPF leader Sosho Lorho, who when asked by our 'Luch-ingpurel' that 'you have been Works Minister for Manipur and all major contract areas in the hill areas have been given to the tribal contractors, so why blame the Meiteis for non-implementation of developmental works in the hill areas, to which he jokingly replied, "If we do not blame the Meiteis then how will we win our elections," the KKL release added.

The Lup also contended that Speaker Khemchand made the first mistake when he withdrew his order of inducting Meitei MLAs into the HAC upon pressure.

He should have simply referred the matter to the Supreme Court of India.

And in this ADC Bill 2021 too he should refer matter to the Apex Court and let the highest seat of judiciary of the country decide on it which will be binding on the tribals as well as the non-tribals opposing the ADC Bill," it added.

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