IMPHAL, September 22: Pointing out that the present uprising of the tribal people against the three bills passed in the Manipur Assembly is the bone of contention which has sparked off the upheaval, the All Manipur Tribal Women Union (AMTRIWU) has demanded unconditional apology from MLA RK Anand for his `irresponsible`™ and `provocative`™ statement.
According to a statement of AMTRIWU, MLA Anand had said, `It`™s only because of the generosity of the Meiteis that the Nagas and Kukis could exist in Manipur today`™.
This is the most provocative and irresponsible statement ever made by a representative. This shows the sheer ignorance of history and geo-politics of Manipur on the part of the MLA which is very unfortunate, it said.
The union said that the MLA`™s statement has further alienated the hill people as this is directed to destroy the closely knitted fabric of the society.
Stating that the tribal people especially of Churachandpur and Sadar Hills understand that the bills certainly affect them, the AMTRIWU alleged that instead of rectifying the flaws contained in the bills, the State government continues to blame the people which has aggravated the already burning situation.
Instead of trying to solve the grievances of the tribal people, the government keeps on bragging that the bills do not infringe on the rights of the tribal, which directly insulted the tribal people. This destructive attitude of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and Deputy CM Gaikhangam would never be able to bring any manner of finding any solution because they do not try to find a solution but indulge in sheer lip service, the statement said.
Lamenting that the corpses of the Churachandpur martyrs are lying rotten in the freezer-less morgue which is a proof of the tribal being treated as second class citizens, the AMTRIWU in the statement reiterated that the government is justifying its actions till today which they vehemently condemned.