Ukhrul: Tangkhul Frontal Organisations has strongly condemned the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) recent decision of reconstituting Autonomous District Councils in the hill areas of Manipur through selection. In a press conference held at Tangkhul Naga Long ( TNL) President’s chamber on Wednesday the Tangkhul Frontal Organisations such as Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS), Tangkhul Shanao Long (TSL) and Tangkhul Mayar Ngala Long( TMNL) while condemning the decision of HAC to constitute the Autonomous District Council election through selection as a temporary arrangement till the ADC election is conducted has also demands the resignation of HAC Chairman and all those elected representatives involved in taking the October 14 resolution.
“This is an insult to the people of the Hills. Chairman of Hill Areas Committe (HAC) must go. We will not accept or honour him. The three Tangkhul MLAs must make their position very clear to the public, or else the same fade awaits for the three MLAs” stated President of Tangkhul Naga Long.
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President of TNL, Sword Vashum, stated, “the recent decision of HAC is unconstitutional and undemocratic as such would not allow to function at Ukhrul District. Reconstituted District Council as such is absolutely unacceptable, we will reject outright. Because it is ab initio, unconstitutional, undemocratic, arbitrary. That is not how people’s democratic institutions ought to function. Next is the question of fixing the responsibility. Who takes the responsibility. Sadly, it is the one who occupies the chair to owns the unacceptable order that has been issued as circular. Saying that, this be done. Now they have redirected through the Government, we have accepted and agreed upon us. And so now, it is for the Government to execute the decision we have taken. So now, we have to fix the responsibility, since this is an undemocratic and unconstitutional decision, the one who issued the circular has to take responsibility first. So we are saying the Chairman of HAC ought to go. He has no place. He has misled and he has sold out, I would even even say the right of the tribals and to be specific the right of the Nagas. HAC is not just a one manship. It is not just the Chairman who is there. Along with him, there are other members, and we have three members in the HAC, one minister and two MLAs. We will seek clarification from them. Are they party to this. If they are party to this, we have to take action as we have taken action against the Chairman of HAC. If they say we don’t accept this and we don’t agree to this, they must straightway issue clarification and disassociate from this decision.”
If the Caretaker Chairmanship doesn’t have a place in the Constitution or in the law, how does this reconstitution of ADC would figure in the realms of the Constitution or in the realms of the Law. We are objecting to this, and there is no way we would allow this reconstituted ADC to function in the Hill Areas, particularly in Ukhrul District. This is absolutely clear. We would never allow such an undemocratic unconstitutional body to function as a democratic institution. Which is a democratic institution by definition. It is a representative institution. Representatives of the people. To constitute the right institution. It is no way it can be considered as a people’s democratic institution.
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Sword Vashum further continued, “How do they handpicked the members. What are the criteria they would follow to pick and choose among the members. In the reconstituted ADC, 13 of them would come from the elsewhile ADC out of 24 elected members. It is like throwing bones on the plate and our people would start fighting over these bones. May sound ways to divide and rule. Going on further, the remaining five, how do they select? How do they determine that he is an expert? He is an intellectual? Again, here it is highly questionable. Now, the Government nominees, how do they select? In a very arbitrarily, in a very summary manner. We are not going to accept this under no circumstances”
“Are we a flock of sheep just to be driven around. Enough is enough. The three Tangkhul MLAS must make their stand clear or go away,” added Sword Vashum.
It may be mentioned that HAC on 14 October 2024, after adopting a resolution to constitute formation of 20 members, of which 18 members are to be selected from among the former ADC members/experts in local self government/ eminent persons/intellectuals and two government nominee, as a temporary arrangement untill ADC election is conducted.
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