Irked by Manipur government’s delay in holding elections to the autonomous district councils (ADCs), tribal bodies have threatened to launch intense forms of agitations. Barely a day after All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) set a March 11 deadline to issue notification for the elections, Chairmen Forum of Six ADCs Manipur on Saturday demanded that the schedule for the elections should be announced within a week’s time.
After the extended terms expired in November 2020, the Manipur government superseded the six ADCs that cover all the 10 hill districts of the state on November 30, 2020.
Citing COVID-19 pandemic as one of the main factors, the state government deferred the due elections to the six ADCs and also urban local bodies in the state.
However, the state government had assured holding elections at the earliest possible time when some tribal bodies, particularly ATSUM had threatened to launch agitations against delay in conducting the elections. Reports said that a general body meeting of the apex body of tribal based student bodies in Manipur convened in Ukhrul district headquarters on Friday resolved to set March 11 deadline to the state government to issue notification for the conduct of the due elections.
If no notification is issued on or before March 11, the meeting allegedly resolved to give a 24-hour total shutdown in hill areas of the state on March 12.
Further, if no positive response came up even after the 24-hour shutdown, ATSUM has decided to impose an indefinite economic blockade on the national highways passing through the state with the support of like-minded organisations.
In the meantime, Chairmen Forum of Six ADCs Manipur also threatened to launch various forms of agitations across the hill districts while pressing the state government to conduct the elections within a stipulated time.
Talking to reporters in Imphal’s ADC Bhavan, coordinator of the forum Dr Yaronsho Ngalung demanded that the state government should announce the election schedule within the next week.
If not, the forum was ready to launch various forms of agitations against delay in conducting the due elections, he said.
The coordinator strongly criticised the state government while alleging that despite the strong demand of the hill people, it (state government) has no willingness to conduct the elections at the moment.
Without the ADCs, the government’s “Go to Hills” was a meaningless campaign, he alleged while claiming that ADCs have a crucial role in the development of hill areas.
Dr Ngalung alleged all development activities in the hill districts were hindered because of the non-functioning of ADCs and appealed to the state government as well as concerned Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of the state Assembly to announce election schedule within the coming week. He also urged tribal MLAs to take the matter seriously and advise the state government to hold the pending elections at the earliest.
“If our voice is not heard, we have no other option but to launch agitations of various forms,” he said.
