IMPHAL, Sep 23 UNA : Terming that the gimmick of the five student bodies to call the bandh without KSO’s knowledge is an instance of opposing to tribal solidarity, the student bodies Sunday announced that its district units will not support the 48-hour general strike called in hill districts of Manipur by five district-based student bodies.
Five district-based student bodies, Senapati District Student’s Association (SDSA), Churachandpur District Student’s Union (CDSU), Zeliangrong Student’s Union Manipur (ZSUM), Naga Student’s Union Chandel (NSUC) and Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) has called a 48-hour hill bandh, effective from Sunday midnight.
They imposed the bandh alleging that the state government failed to address their demand for opening TET (Teachers’ Eligibility Test) exam centre in all district headquarters.
A statement signed jointly by presidents of five branches of KSO dispatched to the media today announced that Kuki based student bodies have decided not to support the 48 hours bandh while asserting that district KSO branches have unanimously endorse the agreement reached between the KSO general headquarters and state education minister on September 18.
In the meeting, state government had given assurance of opening TET exam centre in all district headquarters in future TET exam after a threadbare discussion on the matter.
Kuki students are utterly dismayed over the intention of the five hill district based student bodies to impose a 48-hour general strike over the issue of non-holding of TET examination in the district headquarters of the state as state education minister, M Okendro had given his assurance to open TET exam centres in all the district headquarters in all TET exams in future, the statement asserted.
KSO was not taken into confidence by the five student organizations calling the bandh. The KSO has always made it a point to consult all the tribal student organizations wherever tribal issues are concerned. This gimmick of the five student bodies to call the bandh without KSO’s knowledge is opposed to tribal solidarity, the KSO alleged.
The statement further asserted that KSO had consulted with ANSAM when it decided to take up the issue with the government regarding the issue before the TET exam conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BOSEM)
On September 14, they submitted a memorandum to education minister M Okendro stating its demands. Subsequently, a meeting was held on the September 18, and all concerns pertaining to this issue had been discussed along with MLAs from the Hill Districts. As a result, an agreement was signed and the details of the agreement had also been made known to the public via printed and electronic media, it added.
The Kuki students were taken aback by the intention of some hill district student bodies to call a general strike on the same matter, and intending to pass it off as a tribal issue. Manipur is home to three major groups of communities – Meiteis, Nagas & Kukis and where had the other hill based student bodies gone when the KSO first raised the issue, the statement asked.
The Kuki students fail to understand the logic behind the proposed general strike, and cannot help but conclude that it is the handiwork of some vested interests. The Kuki – is a generic terminology which stands for all the Chin Kuki Mizo tribes in Manipur.
The KSO will always work for the over-all interest of the cognate/kindred tribes of the Kukis, the statement asserted, reiterating that there was something amiss in the proposed general strike, and will not be a party to it, and no general strike with regard to TET issue will be allowed to be enforced in the Kuki inhabitant areas of the state.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/kuki-students-declare-opposition-to-48-hr-hill-bandh/
