Activists stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday. Picture by Ramakant Kuswaha
Imphal, Nov 26 : The joint committee on inner line permit system in Manipur took its demand right to the central government’s doorstep today by organising a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Women vendors of Imphal also staged a simultaneous sit-in here. Both demonstrations were held between 10am and 3pm.
The committee
decided to shift the battle to New Delhi after the Centre stayed silent
on a resolution adopted by the Manipur Assembly on July 13 to enforce
the inner line permit in the state and the subsequent remark by Union
home minister Sushil Kumar Sindhe: “Any sensible person will not pass
such a bill.”
The joint
committee, a conglomerate of citizens’ groups, had planned to issue stay
permits to non-Manipuris living in the state from December 19 next but
dropped the idea after deputy chief minister Gaikhangam persuaded them
not to do so.
Gaikhangam
appealed to the joint committee leaders to join hands with the state
government and mount pressure on the Centre as the matter was not under
the purview of the state government.
Somorendro
Thokchom, media coordinator of the joint committee, said volunteers of
various student and citizens’ groups of Manipur, Delhi Sinlung
Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Organisation and Manipuri students
staying in Delhi took part in the Jantar Mantar demonstration, which
also saw participation by Manipur State Congress Party MLA K. Thamarjit
and Manipur People’s Party organisation secretary Mutum Maniton along
with Imphal businessman Amrik Singh Pahwa, who represented the state’s
Sikh populace.
A delegation of
the joint committee, headed by its convener, Sapamcha Jadumani, had met
the Union home minister on Friday and submitted a representation
stressing the necessity of enforcing the system to safeguard and protect
the indigenous people of Manipur.
The delegation
told Shinde that according to the 2001 census, there were 7,04,488
non-Manipuris in Manipur against a tribal population of 6,70,782, Meitei
population of 7,51,822 and Meitei Pangal (Muslims) population of
1,67,204.
Jadumani said
Shinde was convinced that the demand of the people of Manipur was
genuine but added that as the home minister had not give any written
assurance regarding implementation of the system, the joint committee
would continue to press for its enforcement.
The campaign for
enforcement of the inner line permit system in Manipur started after it
came to light that the number of non-Manipuri voters were increasing in
almost all constituencies of the state.
Out of 28,000 voters in Jiribam constituency of Imphal East non-Manipuris account for 20,000.
Citizen’s
organisations in the state are apprehensive that Manipur could meet the
fate of Tripura, where outsiders outnumbered the indigenous people.
Manipur Peoples Party is also campaigning for implementation of the system in Manipur through a poster campaign.
The CPI, which was a partner in the earlier two terms of the Okram Ibobi Singh government, is also fully supporting the demand.
“If the Ibobi
Singh government is supportive and can put enough pressure on the
Centre, there is no reason why the UPA government should not implement
the system in Manipur,” CPI state secretary M. Nara Singh said.
“What is the Ibobi
Singh government doing? His cabinet took the decision and the next day
the state Assembly took the decision to enforce it. It is the
responsibility of the government to pursue the decision and have the
Centre honour the decision taken by the state Assembly. We will continue
to fight until the Centre acts,” said Manitombi Devi, a women vendor
here.
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