Red flag raised over HTC's agenda
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 24 2024: The Economic & Resource Development Organisation (ERDO)-Kangleipak has called out the Hill Tribal Council (HTC) Moreh for fuelling ethnic "divide" and supporting an "anti-development and anti-Indian rally.

The council calling Moreh the "cultural capital of the Kuki Zo" in its September 19 media invitation for a peace rally to be organised on September 25 at the border town is highly condemnable, said ERDO in a statement.

Its support for the rally to be held under the theme "No Kuki Zo Political Solution No Act East Policy" clearly hints that the HTC is on the move to isolate Manipur and its tribal community from economic development, it said.

The HTC Moreh stance is detrimental to Manipur's economic growth and this would undermine India's efforts to strengthen ties with Southeast Asia, it said.

Further, the HTC's stance will isolate Manipur from regional economic development initiatives and hamper cultural exchange programmes and people-to-people ties, it added.

ERDO asserted that HTC's actions perpetuate pure anti-Indian sentiment undermining National integrity.

The North Eastern region holds immense strategic significance due to its unique geographic location, sharing borders with Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

The region is crucial for India's Act East Policy, which seeks to establish cooperation in security, both strategic and socio-economic, in its immediate and extended neighbourhood.

The Act East Policy aims to promote economic cooperation, cultural exchange, and connectivity between India and Southeast Asia.

The policy has already led to significant infrastructure development projects in Mizoram, such as the Kolodyne Hydro-Electric Project II and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway connecting Moreh (Manipur) with Mae Sot (Thailand) via Myanmar.

By rejecting the Act East Policy, the HTC is denying all tribal communities access to potential economic benefits, job opportunities, and cultural exchange programmes, said ERDO.

Organising the "No Act East Policy" rally may have unintended consequences and harm the very communities HTC seeks to protect.

It should reconsider its stance and work towards a brighter economic future for Manipur and the Northeastern region, it added.

The HTC Moreh should engage in constructive dialogue with the Government to address its concerns and not become a roadblock to economic development, said the ERDO.

The Hill Tribal Council Moreh should work for the collective development of the State of Manipur and the 34 listed tribes of Manipur under the Indian Constitution, it said.

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