IMPHAL, November 12: In the aftermath of the passing of the three infamous `anti-tribal`™ bills by the Government of Manipur in its Special Assembly on August 31, the Manipur Tribal`™s`™ Union Bangalore (MTUB) which was founded on September 1, 2015 by Zomi Youth Association, Bangalore (ZYA-B), Thadou Students`™ Association, Bengaluru (TSA-B), Hmar Students`™ Association, Bangalore (HSA-B) and Kuki Students`™ Organization, Bangalore (KSO-B), has unanimously resolved to take part in the people`™s movement against the three bills.
According to a release of MTUB, On September 4, 2015 a mass protest against the killing of nine tribal by the indiscriminate firing of the State police and a demand for separate tribal administration in Manipur were held at Freedom Park, Bangalore.
It said a memorandum was submitted to the President of India; Governor of Manipur through the Governor of Karnataka, Prime Minister, Chairperson of All India Congress Committee and Chief Minister of Manipur.
As a matter of grave concern for the plight of tribal in Manipur, the MTUB relentlessly held a marathon of discussions and considered all the newly formed JACs/committees/forums/unions at various Indian cities as stakeholders and proposed to form a centralized leadership/committee amongst them, it said.
A meeting was called in Delhi on September 22 for the formation of the centralized committee after receipt of preliminary positive responses from all the committee. Unfortunately, due to the visits of Central Observer Ashok Prasad, Special Secretary (Internal Security), MHA, to Churachandpur town on the day, the JAC Churachandpur could not attend the meeting.
However, the meeting was attended by Committee for Protection of Manipur Tribal`™s, Pune; Manipur Tribal`™s`™ Union, Chennai; Manipur Tribal`™s`™ Students`™ Union, Kolkata; Manipur Tribal`™s`™ Forum, Vishakhapatnam and Manipur Tribal`™s`™ Union, Bengaluru. Due to the absence of few stakeholders, the meeting decided to have a meeting with Manipur Tribal`™s`™ Forum, Delhi (MTFD), the release continued.
“In the meeting with MTFD in the presence of all the representatives from Pune, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam & Kolkata, the MTFD had informed us that they were not in a position to join the centralized committee at that juncture, yet. We unanimously resolved and assigned that the MTFD will call a Tribal Conclave at the earliest for the centralized committee.`™`™
“So far, no sign of the conclave matters is initiated and not yet heard from the MTFD. The primary aim of a centralized committee is to strengthen the people`™s movement still stands like a distant dream`™`™, it said.
MTUB and few other forums/committees/unions still feel the dire need for centralization of all the JACs/Forums/Committees/Unions/etc., without which the unity of all tribal of Manipur and the primary objective of the ongoing people`™s movement cannot be streamlined, and instead could lead us to nowhere and could eventually turn into a regional/community issue.
In such a scenario, trust-deficit of the JAC by the people will escalate and external pressures will mount on to the leaders from the Govt., UGs, etc. thereby turning a mountain into a molehill, the MTUB said in the release.