KANGPOKPI, August 29: The Kuki Students`™ Organization GHQ (KSO-GHQ) and All Naga Students`™ Association Manipur (ANSAM) have expressed refusal to accept the agreement between the State government and leaders of JCILPS on the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 and Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015 today.
A joint press statement signed by Seiboi Haokip and Alexander Huten, general secretary of KSO-GHQ and ANSAM respectively said that any provisions in the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 that affect the rights of the Hill people should be removed.
`The Act cannot be extended to the whole State of Manipur as stated in Sub-Section (2) of Section1 of the Act`, asserted the two tribal student apex students.
Questioning the intention of the Government of Manipur (GoM) in using terms such as `small hill states` to define the state of Manipur as mentioned in the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 the two student bodies lamented that there has always been a distinct demarcation between the valley and the Hill Areas in administration even before the inception of the Manipur State and therefore, the term `hill` should be omitted in the Act.
While maintaining that the Hill Areas comes under the purview of Article 371C of the Constitution of India KSO and ANSAM stressed that the status quo of the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960 should be honoured and maintained.
Calling upon all the legislatures from the Hill Areas to stand up and assert the rights of the Tribals as empowered by Article 371C of the Constitution of India the student bodies also impressed upon all the members of Manipur Legislative Assembly to appreciate the situation of all the communities living in the present State of Manipur.
Meanwhile, the two tribal student apex bodies also warned to take up their own course of action in case the Government of Manipur fails to respond positively to their call while holding responsibility the Government of Manipur for all the consequences.