Imphal, October 25 (NNN): Strongly decrying the decision of the All Political Party meeting and the SPF Government to maintain the status quo of the Assembly Constituencies in Manipur, the Movement for Tribal Peoples' Rights, Manipur (MTPRM) has asked the people in the hill areas to defeat the decision.

It termed the Oct 22 decision as a gross mistake committed against the hill people.

The tribal organisation said that the State Government and the political parties should have taken views and felt the sentiments of the hill people prior to such serious disastrous decision.

�The October 22 decision was, therefore, akin to ignoring the existence of the hill people in Manipur,� rued the MTPRM leaders while talking to Newmai News Network today.

The tribal leaders also expressed their surprise as to how all the political parties whose ideologies were like chalk and cheese could come to a unanimous and consensus conclusion to pass a resolution that was against the interest of the hill people of Manipur before consulting the concerned people.

�By now the hill people can understand that these political parties are nothing but hurdles to the progress of the hill people and their interests and therefore these political parties deserve condemnation in the sternest term by all right thinking people,� declared MTPRM general secretary AS Johnson.

The MTPRM leaders then alleged that when the Election Commission of India proposed to exercise the delimitation process based on the latest census, the Manipur Government was spending sleepless nights while finding means and ways to derail the process in the State.

They further alleged that this was not the first time that the Government had been playing against the tribal peoples� interest.

The Naga Students� Union, Chandel (NSUC) has also termed the status quo stand as continued subjugation of the tribals in Manipur by the majority people.

The October 22 decision of the SPF�s Steering Committee and the All Political Party meeting should be black-listed in the history of the tribal people in Manipur, president of the students� body RL Angdang Pakan said in a statement.

Pointing to the slogan of the SPF Government for unity between hill and valley people, Angdang said the �status quo� decision is self contradictory.

This kind of socio-political injustice and discrimination is a big step into disintegrating Manipur, he cautioned.

On the other hand, Thoubal District Development and Demand Council (TDDDC) has also expressed strong reservation against the decision of the State Cabinet and the All Political Parties for maintaining the status quo of the existing Assembly Constituencies in Manipur and said such a would only give a serious impact on the territorial integrity of the State.

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