Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Imphal, April 29 2010:
The Zeliangrong Union (ZU) has demanded the extension of the Sixth Schedule in the hill districts of Manipur before the polls to the District Councils are conducted by the state government of Manipur.
While fully endorsing the ongoing agitation in the hill districts, the Zeliangrong Union terms the state government's policy on the District Councils' elections as "discriminatory policy" against the tribal people of Manipur.
Harping on the history of the issue, the Zeliangrong Union said that it had supported the boycott of the elections to the District Councils twenty years ago, in 1990, when the hill people of Manipur boycotted the elections of District Councils.
The Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of Manipur Legislative Assembly spear-headed the boycott with the slogan of "no sixth schedule, no election".
"The hill people started in 1968 the demand for autonomous district councils under the Sixth Schedule for the hill districts of Manipur.
In response to that demand the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971 was enacted and the existing 'fund-less and powerless' district councils were set up.
The Hill Areas Committee (HAC) having realized the uselessness of the district councils under the Act of 1971, resumed the demand for the Sixth Schedule in 1974, for speedy development of the backward hill areas with the central fund available under the Sixth Schedule only," the Zeliangrong body said.
Lamenting on the development the Zeliangrong Union said it is unfortunate the State government of Manipur has been obstructing the development of the hill areas by denying the Sixth Schedule, while the panchayats of the more advanced valley people are now entitled to the central fund from the same source through the 11th Schedule.
This is a matter of discrimination and injustice on the part of the State governmentwidening the gap of disproportionate development between the backward hills and the advanced valley people, which may not be conducive for unity and integrity of the State, it added.
"While the Central Government has assured on the floor of Parliament to concede the demand since 1984, it is the lackadaisical and insincere recommendations of the State government that hampered the extension of the Sixth Schedule to the hill districts.
The autonomous district councils under the Sixth Schedule (the panchayats under the Eleventh Schedules as well) are not political demand; these are simply instruments for development.
The Sixth Schedule was designed by the Framers of the Constitution of India as a special constitutional mechanism for the development of the tribals of the north east region through special central funding.
It is as good as a constitutional right for development," the ZU further added.
The Zeliangrong Union said that it will support the boycott of the district council elections along with the rest of tribal people of the State, till the Sixth Schedule is extended to the hill districts of Manipur.
"We hope, the State government will abandon the discriminatory policy between the hills and plains and make a sincere recommendation for extension of the Sixth Schedule without the tricky rider clause," it affirmed.