It would not be wrong to underscore here that chief minister Biren Singh is trying to score political brownie points through his sense of brotherhood message to the people of the state as the state election is due early next year, said the Tangkhul headman’s association.
TFM Desk
Tangkhul Naga Wungnao Long (TNWL), the headman’s association has decried the recent statement of chief minister N Biren Singh who reportedly said “Every land in the state belongs to the government and it has the authority to use those lands for development and welfare of the people”. The headman’s association asserted that this is not applicable in the context of Manipur hill areas.
In a release on Friday, the association said that the widely reported news item of N Biren’s speech during the recent mass tree plantation held at Mangjol village and Kanglatongbi-Kangpokpi Reserved Forest, under the banner of Forest Department in Kangpokpi district on Monday (July 5, 2021) is a direct challenge to the hill populace of the state which has separate land holding system as its land, resources and cultural heritage is well-protected under Article 371 (C) of the Indian Constitution. No external forces or for that matter state government has any say in this matter, it added.
“Using land for development purposes with the consent of the concerned village authorities or the apex Tribal body’s is different from forceful occupation of lands. On the pretext of development, the government cannot claim absolute authority over the lands of the hill inhabitants”.
Genuine initiatives to bridge the developmental disparities between the Valley and the Hill are well appreciated. But terming “Every land in the state belongs to the government” is not only politically incorrect but it is an act of directly challenging constitutionally protected rights of the hill people, Tangkhul Naga Wungnao Long contended.
It further argued that development and the rightful owner of the lands are two different subjects. Just because the government has taken up people-centric developmental works doesn’t mean the rightful owner of the land has surrendered all into the government.
“On what basis would the government encroach on the land of the hill people? In the rush to seduce and lure the people with a development package with the hidden intent to supersede the original owners of the land is similar to sycophants heaping honey coated speeches to political masters which no right thinking person would dare venture let alone try”.
While appealing to the general public to cooperate in the developmental activities taken up by the government, the chief minister had specifically urged them not to toe the line of independent ownership of land. If then, the headman’s association asked — who should be the rightful owner of hill lands and resources? A sense of brotherhood and belongingness will come when the rights of each community are respected and due space is given, and not in tall talk political gimmick. Because land is older than the human race and it knows to whom it belongs – the aboriginal, it asserted.
It would not be wrong to underscore here that the chief minister is trying to score political brownie points through his sense of brotherhood message to the people of the state as the state election is due early next year, the release said. But his speech lacked maturity and he failed to see beyond the spoken lines which had its inner meaning to it.
“Why would a state chief minister not know the historical background of the state he called his land. A remote state like Manipur is inhabited by myriads of communities each having their distinct identities and culture. Amid the differences, each community shares a meeting point and maintains balance. It does not happen by itself. As a veteran politician he knows better”.
Tangkhul Naga Wungnao Long further maintained that inalienable rights of the people may not be confused with developmental enticement. As the custodian of our land, resources and its rich cultural heritage, we would always standby and protect our inherent birthright through thick and thin.”Hill citizens may do well to stand sentinel and not fall for an avalanche of developments that may slowly but surely usurp your land and become a refugee in a place you called your home. Any development that failed to find balance and recognized the inherent rights embedded with the lives of the people that inhabited the lands would be a short sighted vision bereft of any long term sustainability”.