Ukhrul, Jan 13: Extending a warm welcome to the new Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the Tribal Youth Council Manipur (TYCM) has expressed hope that the Governor will take immediate action to restore grassroots local self-government by ensuring Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) elections as soon as possible.
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In a statement, the tribal body said, “As per Article 371C of the Indian Constitution, the Governor is the custodian of the constitutional provision of the tribals of Manipur and he is responsible for overseeing the developmental and constitutional safeguards for the hill tribals of the State”.
The TYCM stated that since the onset of ethnic clashes/violence on May 3, 2023, the Manipur Government had successfully conducted the 18th Lok Sabha General Elections (March–June 2024) and continued with recruitment processes and appointments in various departments. However, there remains a glaring neglect of recruitment and development activities in the Tribal Affairs & Hills Department, Manipur State Commission for Scheduled Tribes (MSCST), and Tribal Research Institute (TRI). This discriminatory attitude undermines the tribal communities of Manipur and contradicts the Manipur Government’s proclaimed slogan of “equal development for both the valley and the hills,” the TYCM said.
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The TYCM further stated that the Autonomous District Councils (ADC) elections mandated under Section 13 of the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971, have been overdue since 2020 but have not been conducted. Now, four years have lapsed without any progress, representing a significant denial of democratic rights and political suppression of grassroots local self-government in the hill tribal areas and the intention to demolish the Local Self-Government. It suppressed the constitutional tribal rights, the TYCM alleged.
The non-existence of the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) for the past four years has led to a loss of development opportunities for the tribal population and the abandonment of numerous beneficial schemes. These losses cannot be easily recovered/compensated for by future generations, it pointed out.
The failure on the part of the State Government to conduct the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) Elections is a direct suppression of the hill tribal people by the Government, violating both the Indian Constitution and the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971, and the law of the land, the TYCM stated.
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The government was able to successfully conduct the 18th Lok Sabha General Elections during the ongoing ethnic crisis in Manipur. Therefore, there is no question of its inability to conduct the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) Elections at this time, the tribal body pointed out.
The TYCM then said it “firmly believes” that Ajay Kumar Bhalla, as the new Governor of Manipur, will take immediate action to restore grassroots Local Self-Government by ensuring that the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) elections are held at the earliest. “We are also of the view that the Governor will address and resolve the pressing issues being faced by the tribal communities of Manipur,” it added.
(Newmai News Network)
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