IMPHAL, August 16: The leaders of North East Indigenous Peoples’ Parliament (NIPP), a parliament formed by around 30 indigenous communities of NE to resolve all issues and threats that challenge the survival of the indigenous peoples of the region, strongly reacted to the controversial move of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on accommodating Hindu migrants from Bangladesh with the cut-off year being 2014.
Coordinator of NIPP Ningthouja Lancha speaking to reporters here on Tuesday opined that they’ve affirmed their decision to stand collectively against any political mechanism that may provide provisions for recognition of illegal immigrants settled in the NE states as citizens without historical legality.
A day long International Day of World Indigenous Peoples 2016 observation by Tripura People’s Front (TPF) in collaboration with NIPP in Tripura’s Khumulwng village on August 9 also decides to pursue the centre to protect and preserve the historical site, festival and celebrations related to indigenous culture and history of the region, he said.
“Such kind of step is need of the hour as many of our historical sites in the region are found to be abused and engaged for different purposes by different political and social groups,” Lancha added.
Sharing a similar sentiment, NIPP’s working member Ramsing Kathar from Assam’s Karbianglong district also expressed the need to address the present problems and grievances of the marginalized peoples in the region.
Participating in the interaction, President TPF of Patal Kanya who was here to attend a function informed that the illegal immigrants’ starts entering Tripura since 1954 reducing their community (Borok) a minority with in a state having a population of 38 lakhs.
“So we decided to urge the concerned authority to halt to any form of imposition of language and culture alien to vulnerable indigenous people such as Boroks of Tripura in the educational system and institutions against their wishes in the recent meet,” Kanya added.
Except two in Khowai most of the educational institutions excludes Kokborok language in their curriculum while Salwar Kameej is replacing lady’s wrap around ‘Reganai’ as dress code for girl students in our state, TPF leader alleged.
Interestingly, August 9 observation in Tripura also resolved to urge the centre to introduce certain constitutional provisions that may immediately bring to an end to the practice of grabbing lands that belong to vulnerable indigenous people in the NE region, in the name of development.
