ATSUM also urged the tribal candidates across the political spectrum to give a primary commitment to the new HAC ADC Bill 2021, keeping aside their respective party manifestos and policies.
TFM Kangpokpi Representative
Barely seven days ahead of the first phase poll, the All Manipur Tribal Students’ Union Manipur, the apex body of tribal students in Manipur appealed to the tribal communities to vote for only such representatives whose vision, competence, and integrity will be able to pick up the course of the new Hill Areas Committee ADC Bill 2021 and turn it into an Act.
A press communique signed by the student body’s president Paotinthang Lupheng and general secretary SR Andria stated that ATSUM as a vanguard for the defense of the rights and interest of 1.3 million tribal populace felt it pertinent to issue a clarion call to all the tribal electors to stand firmly in unity for the collective future in the upcoming 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly election 2022.
“Since independence, the tribals in our state have lived as a neglected population despite the guarantees in the Indian constitution through Article 371C. We appreciate the Hill Area Committee for their historic unison across party lines and ethnic divides to unanimously adopt the Manipur Hill Area Autonomous District Councils Bill 2021 on 16th of August, 2021,” it added.
It stated that ATSUM with the unrelenting support of Kuki Students Organisation (KSO) and All Naga Students Association Manipur (AMSAM) have been impressing on the present BJP-led Government to table the Bill and take it forward.
“However, we are extremely dissappointed at the response and position of the State Government which continues to deliberately deny our advancement as equal citizens of this state,” it added.
It also said that our only hope of translating our collective ideals is by electing representatives who would embark this collective demand to translate the new HAC ADC Bill 2021 into a reality.
“We therefore urge all the tribal candidates across the political spectrum to give a primary commitment to the new HAC ADC Bill 2021, keeping aside your respective party manifestos and policies,” it added.
Anything else is an appeasement which cannot usher a collective transformation for the whole tribals, it said and urged all the candidates to explicitly voice their positions on the new HAC ADC Bill 2021.
While appealing to all the right thinking electors/voters of the hill areas to elect only such representatives whose vision, competence and integrity will be able to pick up the course of the new HAC ADC Bill 2021 and translate it into an Act, ATSUM urged to all the tribals to continue to stand in firm unison at such a decisive juncture and collectively voice this sole demand and cast our sacrosanct vote for only such futuristic leaders who commits for tribal rights.