In this part, we will be covering some Lies spread by Kuki’s and the entire Congress, Leftist, and Missionary ecosystem for all these years.
Lie: Kuki says that while tribal constituted more than 40% of Manipur’s population, only 31.66 % (19 out of 60) seats in the State Legislative Assembly were reserved for the tribals. Does it mean to say that 68.44% (41 out of 60) seats in the State Legislative Assembly are exclusively reserved for the Meeteis?
Fact: Tribals, including Kukis enjoy the opportunity to get more seats than their demographic proportion. They get not only 31.66% reserved seats but can contest election in the 40 unreserved seats.
LIE: Kuki says that Hill Area Committee and District Councils were rendered toothless due to Meetei.
FACT: The Hill Area Committee, District Councils, and their functioning are prescribed by the Article 371 (C) of the India’s Constitution. These are tribal constitutional bodies. The tribal themselves are responsible for its failure or success. Meeteis are neither part of it nor responsible for its failure.
LIE: Kuki says that Meeteis in the Imphal valley were responsible for the institutional neglect of the hill areas.
FACT: Interregional disparity in infrastructural growth is due to either locational factor such as Imphal being the centrally located capital city or economic planning. Imphal grows and flourishes under the initiatives of diverse communities, including Kuki migrants. To address interregional disparity there has to be sincere collective efforts of all including Kuki leaders.
LIE: Kukis says that they did not enjoy protection in Manipur due to Meetei domination.
FACT: Kukis enjoy special protection under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, Manipur (Village Authorities in Hill Areas) Act, 1956, and Article 371 (C) of the Indian Constitution. If Kukis are dissatisfied with manipulation by corrupt officials in recruitment and fund management, they may approach the competent authorities under due process of the law. The blame should not be on Meetei or any other community.
LIE: Kuki says that Hill Areas Committee’s repeated demand for the extension of the Sixth Schedule to the hill areas of Manipur were supressed by Meitei dominated State government.
FACT: The Hill Areas Committee is constituted under the provision of the Article 371C of the Indian Constitution, “for the modifications to be made in the rules of business of the Government and in the rules of procedure of the Legislative Assembly of the State and for any special responsibility of the Governor in order to secure the proper functioning of such committee.”
Its function is meant to endeavour to “(a) safeguard the interest of the people of the Hill Areas, particularly through accelerated development of these areas; and (b) promote unity between the people of the Hill Areas and other areas of the State by aiming at an integrated and evenly based economic growth of those areas and augment the resources of the state as a whole.”
The Committee has no locus standi to demand for any communally motivated sectarian demands such as the Sixth Schedule. The Article 371C read along with the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, and the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971 is the most viable special mechanism meant for the peculiar objective conditions of Manipur.
Kukis are expected to progress from such a mechanism but deprived of by their corrupt leaders who misappropriate the lion’s share at the cost of their own people. Therefore, their demand for the Sixth Schedule is placed in a misplaced context but to engineer communal provocation to create confusion and chaos to serve vested interests.
LIE: Kuki says that the Government of Manipur had formulated the Manipur Culture Policy without giving due consideration to the presence of tribal cultures.
FACT: The Manipur Culture Policy is meant for the people of Manipur, including the Kukis citizens of Manipur. In fact, in November 2002, the Department of Art & Culture, Government of Manipur released a draft Manipur Culture Policy and invited any suggestions/comments from individuals/ organisations to be submitted on or before 15th January, 2003. People were happy with this notice and many concerned individuals / organisations submitted suggestions to ensure a pragmatic and durable culture policy.
After considering all the suggestions/ comments and talks that lasted for more than 12 years, the Government of Manipur finally released the Manipur Culture Policy in October 2016. The Policy is in consonance with what has been envisaged in the National Educational Policy to fulfil the aims of changing and enriching the cultural contents in education in as many manifestations as possible. The Policy focuses on giving equal attention in the endeavour to develop culture among plains and hills, urban and rural, several communities, ethnic and tribal groups. This has to be achieved by coordination amongst the Departments of Culture, Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Information and Public Relations, Tribal Development and Tourism, and others. But the Burmese Kuki infiltrators or their agents may not be happy as this Policy has not not served their diabolic agenda.
LIE: Kuki says there had been unfair budgetary and development allocation for the hills. They say that budgetary allocation for developing hill areas have never crossed 10% of the State’s budget. They cited a source that says that budget allocations for hills out of the total allocation for the State were 2.20% (2017-18), 2.15% (2018-19), 2.45% (2019-20), and 0.58% (2020-21).
FACT: The Report of the Committee Constituted by the Government of Manipur to Examine the Funds Released for All the Hill District in the State, October 2021 shows that budget allocations for hills out of the total allocation for the State were 38.17% (2017-18), 36.79% (2018-19), 43.76% (2019-20), and 45.75% (2020-21). Development of Kuki villagers in the hills have been withheld due to misappropriation of funds by Kuki leaders and their agents.
LIE: Kuki says that the Manipur Hill Areas (Acquisition of Chief’s Rights) Act, 1967 authorised the government to acquire the rights, title and interest of chiefs over land in the Hills of Manipur.
FACT: The Manipur Hill Areas (Acquisition of Chief’s Rights) Act, 1967 has never been fully enforced to deprive of the rights of indigenous tribal chiefs by the authority. Instead, contenders to chieftainship are happy in making use of this Act to officially settle succession disputes. There has been no collective fort by indigenous chiefs to amend or abrogate this Act. If Kuki propagandists are against this toothless Act, it begs for question as to why they raise no objection to the powerful Land Acquisition Act, 1894 which can evict anyone from land for public purpose.
LIE: Kuki says that attempt to extend Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reform Act, 1960 to the hill areas was meant to authorise the state government to acquire land rights and titles at the cost of tribals.
FACT: In Manipur’s hill districts there are 32 surveyed revenue villages where individuals/ families/ collective’s land ownerships are legally protected under the provision of the MLR&LR Act, 1960. Persons interested in private ownership of land are happy with it. Selfish Kuki chiefs who assert absolute feudal landlordism and those who are in unholy alliance with them for illicit plantations at the cost of tribesmen are opposed to land reforms. Therefore, it is not the MLR& LR Act, 1960 but the Kuki chiefs who are depriving their tribesmen of land rights or legal titles on land.
Read Part-1 and Part-2 here.
