IMPHAL, Jun 21: The Joint Action Committee against Anti-Tribal Bills (JAC) today said that the JAC chief convener was ‘misquoted’ by the ‘concerned citizens’ from Manipur/Imphal valley who visited the JAC yesterday at KKL complex, IB Road, Churachandpur.
While appreciating the visiting team for their concern on the issue, it is unfortunate that the team portrayed the JAC as desiring to talk with JCILPS while the fact is that the JAC is open for talks with the Manipur Govt and not with the JCILPS, the JAC said in a statement today.
“Never during the course of the conversation with the six-member visiting team did the JAC members ever express their desire for direct talks with the JCILPS nor to any other civil society organisation… Instead, it was conveyed to the visiting team that the JAC is open to talks with the Manipur Govt in spite of the whole issue having crossed its threshold point,” the JAC said in the statement.
The JAC said that its members met with a six-member team claiming to be ‘concerned citizens’ from Manipur/Imphal valley yesterday and had a discussion on the ongoing impasse between the Manipur Govt and the tribal people.
The JAC had conveyed to the team how the Manipur Govt had not shown any interest in solving the issue, and that in spite of assuring the JAC delegation on Dec 29, 2015 that further talks will be held once the JAC submits a document outlining the ‘anti-tribal’ nature of the three Bills, the Govt had refused to meet the JAC even though a 6-page document detailing the anti-tribal nature of the Bills was submitted on Jan 11, 2016, it said.
The JAC members also expressed to the team the communal mindset of the Manipur Govt which was evident in its sending of an ‘all political party’ delegation to Delhi to pressurise the Union Govt to give President’s assent to the three Bills after three days of protest by the valley people whereas the nine-month long agitation by the tribal in the hills of Manipur has been conveniently ignored by the Manipur Govt till date, it said.
“The JAC is always of the opinion that since the Bills were passed by the Manipur Govt and that as the JAC had submitted its Charter of Demands to the Manipur Govt, the solution lies with the Manipur Govt alone and not with the JCILPS. The JAC has also no objection to the JCILPS or any other civil society organisation from talking to the Manipur Govt about the demands put forth by the JAC if they so desire,” it said.
Inspite of having made the JAC’s stand clear, the ‘concerned citizens’ group had, opportunely misquoted the JAC chief convener in its press note to the media saying that the JAC is open to any dialogue with the JCILPS.
