Northeast

'ADC election must not be conducted without first giving empowerment to ADC'

A consultative meeting of ATSUM, KSO-GHQ, ANSAM resolved that the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) recommended Autonomous District Council (ADC) Bill 2021 should be tabled in the Manipur Legislative Assembly at the earliest.

ByNNN/Imphal

Updated 15 Apr 2022, 7:44 pm

ATSUM representatives (File Photo: IFP)
ATSUM representatives (File Photo: IFP)

 

A consultative meeting of the All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur (ATSUM), Kuki Students’ Organisation-General Headquarters (KSO-GHQ), All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) and senior ATSUM leaders resolved that the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) recommended Autonomous District Council (ADC) Bill 2021 should be tabled in the Manipur Legislative Assembly as soon as possible and also resolved that the ADC election should not be conducted without first giving empowerment to ADC within the ambit of the Indian constitution.

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Wednesday's meeting was held at Amity Hall, Adimjati Complex, to discuss the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) recommended Autonomous District Council (ADC) Bill 2021 and the state government’s intention to process the conduct of ADC election. The meeting which was attended by the executives of the three apex tribal student bodies and their senior leaders thoroughly deliberated on the ADC Bill movement spearheaded by ATSUM that demanded the introduction of the bill in the Manipur Legislative Assembly. After a thorough discussion, the meeting resolved to ratify its long standing demand of tabling the bill in the Manipur Legislative Assembly at the earliest possible time. It has also resolved that the ADC election should not be conducted until such time as the process for introduction of HAC recommended Bill 2021 in the Assembly is duly initiated.

The ATSUM then expressed its deep dissatisfaction with the previous government which had failed to table the bill despite inking an agreement with the three tribal student bodies.

On November 25, 2021, the three student bodies signed an agreement with the government in which the state government had given its assurance for tabling the bill in the winter session of Manipur Legislative Assembly in the event of ATSUM suspending its agitation. According to ATSUM, the agitation was suspended as per the agreement but the winter session was never convened. “Now, it is the aspiration and expectation of the tribal people that the HAC recommended Bill 2021 is tabled in the assembly at the soonest time possible,” the tribal student body also said.

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ATSUM said that it had always demanded the timely conduct of the ADC election in the past and had even launched agitations to pressurise the government. “But the government on one pretext or another had delayed it. However, when all the tribal people of the state decided to strengthen and empower the ADC by supporting HAC recommended Bill 2021, the government seems to act in a hurry to conduct ADC election,” ATSUM also said.

“In fact, this is ironic. It is well understood that an ADC election without strengthening the ADC is just a mockery and a lot of eyewash,” the apex tribal student body of Manipur further said. Therefore, ATSUM said that if the government is really for empowering and strengthening the ADC then it has to conduct the election after the HAC recommended bill is introduced in the assembly. “Then only the good intention of the government will be validated,” ATSUM added.

Therefore, ATSUM, KSO-GHQ and ANSAM in the meeting with senior leaders of ATSUM resolved that the HAC recommended ADC Bill 2021 should be tabled in the Manipur Legislative Assembly as soon as possible and also resolved that the ADC election should not be conducted without first giving empowerment to ADC within the ambit of the Indian constitution.

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Tags:

ATSUMADC electionHACADC Bill

NNN/Imphal

NNN/Imphal

Imphal, Manipur

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