IKPF accuses State Govt on Sadar Hills
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Posted23 September 2011, by Staff (The Sangai Express), E-PAO, e-pao.net
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Imphal, September 21 2011: Indigenous Kuki People’s Forum (IKPF) has accused the State Government of playing divide and rule policy with the issue of Sadar Hills.
Saying that the hill is the body and the valley the heart of Manipur, IKPF said that the geopolitics should give a healing touch with true integrity upholding the sentiments of the tribals and the valley people.
It also urged the valley people to focus on long term politics and vision.
The Central Government had agreed to grant Statehood provided that the hills and the valley united together during the then Chief Minister Moirang Koireng, it added.
IKPF added that a former political leader had claimed Statehood only for the valley area excluding the hill areas, which as a resultant fall out, Manipur was granted only Territorial Council status.
The then Chief Minister, RK Joychandra passed a Bill on MLR & LR Act, 1960 .
In spite of passing the Bill within the whole State of Manipur, the Act was only applicable and passed only in and around the valley area excluding the hill areas, it added .
In 1971, the Parliament passed the Act to confer full fledged districthood of the 6 (six) hill ADCs.
In the larger interest of the people of Sadar Hills, the districthood demand has nearly completed 40 long years, IKPF added.
IKPF further observed that the issue should not be propagated and speculated on ethnic lines.
It should be noted that the present Sadar Hills consists of Kuki, Naga, Vaiphei, Nepali people staying together within the same district boundary since time immemorial.
State Government and social organizations and civilians must not try to instigate communal crisis.
The SPF Government is however seemingly directly or indirectly trying to separate the ethnic groups and applying the formula of divide and rule in the State.
IKPF opined that all Naga villages which are in favour of being carved out from the present Sadar Hills areas may be attached to Naga dominated districts while all the Kuki villages which are in Senapati, Tamenglong, Ukhrul, Imphal East and Imphal West districts must be reorganized and attached to the nearest Kuki dominated district.
IKPF added, that the above settlement for the Kukis should be first addressed before any reorganization of district boundaries.
Only Ed 