Imphal, March 17: Despite the raging agitation and the book burning spree unleashed by MEELAL activists, the State Government is yet to take a final decision on implementing Meetei Mayek, with the Chief Minister informing the House that his Govt is seriously studying the matter at hand.

Setting the tone for discussing the raging issue, Keishamthong AC MLA L Ibomcha today raised a call attention motion during the morning session of the ongoing Assembly session and observed that today MEELA activists have launched a stringent move to implement Meetei Mayek, because successive Governments had failed to address the issue of implementing the indigenous script.

Going back to the past, the MLA said that in 1979, the State Govt approved the 27 letter Meetei Mayek after due consultation with an expert committee during the time of the late Yangmasho Shaiza and subsequently the decision to implement Meetei Mayek was published in a Govt Gazette in 1980.However during these past many years, the Govt has been sleeping over the matter and this is the precise reason, why MEELAL activists have today resorted to burning Manipuri text books written in Bengali script, observed Ibomcha.

Arresting the MEELAL activists is not the answer to the present uproar, said Ibomcha and suggested that the Assembly pass a resolution to introduce the Meetei Mayek in a phased manner.

Ibomcha added that the present Assembly session may be hard pressed for time to pass such a resolution and instead suggested that such a resolution be passed in the next sitting of the House.

The MLA further said that it was not a wise decision to slash the fund allocation for the Language Department in the Budget in the face of the current agitation.

Giving statistics, the MLA said that in the 2004-05 Budget, the fund earmarked for the Language Department was Rs 22.79 lakhs.

However the Budget for the next fiscal has slashed it down to Rs 15.31 lakhs, he added.

Going on the offensive against the Govt, the MLA said that in 2003, a State level Meetei Mayek Implementation Committee was formed.

Though numerous recommendations were submitted by the Committee, the Govt slept over the matter, he charged.

Ibomcha made it clear that it was important for the Assembly to adopt a resolution, if not now, then in the next sitting, to include Meetei Mayek in the school syllabus and introduce it phase wise from the lower level.

Strongly refuting the charge that the Govt has been sleeping over the matter, Chief Minister O Ibobi said that after the Govt Gazette was issued in 1980 for implementing Meetei Mayek, an order was issued in 1983 to introduce the script in the school syllabus to be taught upto Class VI.

However the 27 letter script ran into legal hurdles and as per the directives of the High Court, an expert committee was again set up in 1989.The committee again recommended the 27 letter script, informed the Chief Minister.

Again in 1996 an expert committee including advocates of the 36 letter script was formed, said the Chief Minister adding that the committee also recommended the 27 letter script.

Despite the recommendations for the 27 letter script, there are presently numerous cases challenging the validity of the 27 letter script in the Court, said the Chief Minister.

As the matter is lying with the Court of law, the Govt is studying the legal aspects of the issue, informed Ibobi adding that other than the legal hurdle, it will not be practical to introduce the script in a hurry.

As such the Govt is presently studying the matter seriously.

The Chief Minister further said that as the Manipuri language has been included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution as a language written in Bengali script, the Govt is also studying whether it will need an amendment of the Constitution to replace Bengali script with Meetei Mayek.

Asserting that the SPF Government is not against the implementation of Meetei Mayek, the Chief Minister said that ever since it came to power, Meetei Mayek was introduced in Class I and Class II.

Reacting to the explanation given by the Chief Minister, Ibomcha said that the replacing the Bengali script with Meetei Mayek will not need any Constitutional amendment.

The MLA also reminded the House that a division bench had earlier struck off the Meetei Mayek case and referred to a lower court.

Ibomcha also pointed out that the Meetei Mayek being taught in Class I and Class II is not included in the syllabus and advocated that the Assembly pass a resolution to implement the Mayek soon.

At this the Chief Minister said that Meetei Mayek is being taught in Class I and Class II as per the syllabus and offered to lay the order on the floor of the House.

Comment