Imphal: The All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur (ATSUM) said that it “fully endorses” the Hill Areas Committee Resolution No. 47/2021-(HAC) taken on November 29, 2021 in regard to the Manipur (Hill Areas) Autonomous District Councils Bill, 2021. 

ATSUM once again implored the government to “announce the dates for Winter Session as mutually agreed on November 25, 2021“.

The tribal student body also said that failing this assurance would be regarded as befooling the tribal population in the State of Manipur once again. “We urge the government not to repeat this history of disappointing the tribals and conveniently ignoring and dismissing tribal legitimate rights,” it added. 

ATSUM then reminded the state government regarding the “past precedent that in August of 2015, an emergency session was called and the controversial three bills were introduced and passed in three days”.

The tribal student body further said that the present bill recommended by the Hill Areas Committee aims to improve the acute development disparity between the hills and the valley, to improve governance for 41 percent of the population of the state living in 90 percent of the geographical area of Manipur.

Also read: ADC Bill 2021 to be tabled in Winter Session of Manipur Legislative Assembly 2021

“ATSUM, as representative of tribal population, will not tolerate the unconstitutional denial of tabling a bill that aims to usher equity and equality in the state of Manipur,” it added.

The meeting of ATSUM, ANSAM, KSO-GHQ and ATSUM federating units held today then condemned the failure of state government to materialise the agreed point of an agreement signed between state government and ATSUM, ANSAM, KSO-GHQ representatives on November 25, 2021 within stipulated time.

“The sincerity of the state government to resolve the stalemate was questioned in the meeting,” said ATSUM. Further, the meeting resolved that the state government “shall be held accountable for resumption of the temporarily suspended agitation in the event of breach of an agreement by the state government”. 

NNN