IMPHAL, May 10: The JAC against Anti-Tribal Bill has called a 48-hour total shutdown in tribal territories of Manipur from midnight of May 15 in protest against the government decision to depute a team of political leaders to urge the Union government to give assent to the three ‘anti-tribal bills’.
In a statement released today, the JAC stated that it was matter of utter disbelief that the all political party meeting convened by the chief minister O Ibobi on May 9 last ended up passing a resolution on the ‘three infamous bills’ after wavering off the declared agenda of of discussion on the Inner Line Permit System issue. Maintaining that the three bills have nothing to do with the inner line permit, the JAC stated that the resolution of the meeting to send a political delegation to New Delhi brought back memories of the betrayal of tribal people when the three bills were passed by the Manipur Assembly on August 31, 2015.
The JAC in its joint meeting with various tribal apex bodies/tribe councils held at KKL Complex, Lamka today deliberated on the above resolution taken at the all political parties meeting and condemned the decision as well as all the political parties involved for their insensitive attitude towards the plight of the indigenous tribal inhabitants of Manipur, it stated.
“In protest against the continued bias and indifferent attitude of the Manipur Government and its brash and contemptous conduct towards the tribal people, there will be a 48-hour shutdown in all tribal territories,” the note added.
Claiming that the three bills reflect the communal mindset of a particular community, the release maintained that to the tribals they are very much political in nature. With the unflinching support of the people, the JAC shall continue to do all it can to ensure that trival identity, tribal land and right are safeguarded, it stated.
The JAC suggested that people who claimed that the three bills will not go against the interest of the tribal people of the state to refer to its four-page charter of demands and six-page critque of the bills submitted to the state government on November 9, 2015 and January 11, 2016 respectively for consideration of a different viewpoint on the subject.