Manipur Congress criticises BJP govt for not holding ADC elections

PTI, IMPHAL, OCTOBER 18, 2024: Manipur Congress alleged the BJP government in the state of being "anti-tribal" and "anti-hill" people for not holding autonomous district council (ADC) elections for the last four years. Manipur has six autonomous district councils. State Congress president Keisham Meghachandra, in a post on X, said, "The BJP government is anti-hill people, anti-tribal as this BJP government has deliberately chosen not to conduct ADC elections for the last 4 years."

Keisham also lashed out at the resolution passed by the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) under the Manipur Legislative Assembly on October 14, stating that the committee, following a threadbare discussion, unanimously resolved to "recommend to the government of Manipur to conduct the long-pending Autonomous District Councils election as soon as possible." The committee also informed that in order to run the administration of the ADCs, a committee consisting of 20 members for each ADC shall be constituted, of whom 18 shall be elected from former ADC members/experts in local self-government/eminent persons/intellectuals and two government nominees of the district until the ADC election is conducted.

Keisham termed the resolution as "unconstitutional, illegal, and void of any source of law from the Constitution" and claimed that the HAC has no constitutional authority to pass any such resolution. He said the last election to ADCs was held by the Congress government in 2015, and its term ended in 2020. The BJP government came to power in Manipur in 2017, and since 2020, there have been no elections to ADCs for the last 4 years. The temporary arrangement of functioning the ADCs through illegal means of selection by the BJP government must immediately stop in the larger interests of the people of the hills of Manipur," Keisham said.

By not holding ADC elections for the last four years, the financial devolution, central grants-in-aid, central financing, MGNREGS, central schemes related to ADCs, and the Finance Commission awards are being denied to the people of the hills in the state, the Manipur Congress president alleged.