The Partbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti on Saturday declared three lawmakers, elected from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, persona non grata in the hills as they voted for the 15th Amendment Bill that has 'denied the existence of the indigenous population by making them Bengalis'.
Party chief Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, also the chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, at a rally in Rangamati said that the real faces of the three lawmakers — Jatindralal Tripura, Dipankar Talukdar and Bir Bahadur — have been exposed during the passage of the 'controversial' bill.
The Rangamati unit of the party organised the rally at the gymnasium ground in protest against the 15th Amendment, especially against the provision that identifies all the ethnic groups in the country as Bengalis.
All the speakers at the rally came down heavily on three lawmakers for their silence during the passage of the Bill, their voice vote in favour of the Bill and the act of signing during division vote in favour of the bill. The speakers reminded Sheikh Hasina of her father's command to the hill people to become Bengalis and its historical consequences.
Many of the speakers warned the government that it would have to bear the blame if the hill people were forced to take up arms again.
Jyotirindra, popularly known as Santu Larma, called on the hill people, who were involved with Awami League or BNP, to quit those parties and join the movement of the hill people. 'Leave those who do not recognise your existence, those who want to make you Bengalis,' he said.
Santu Larma said that despite the signing of a deal with the hill people, military rule was continuing in the name of Operation Uttaran, Bengalis were continuing to settle in the CHT illegally, land-grabbing was continuing unabated and the Land Commission was intentionally being kept dysfunctional.
He also branded the United People's Democratic Front a 'terrorist outfit' which had made the lives of hill people miserable by killing 1,300 persons and extorting mote one crore takas a day.
Santu called on all the hill people to get united and wage a movement against those who do not recognize the existence of 'indigenous peoples', who intend to rob them of their racial identity by making them Bengalis and turn them into second-class citizens by retaining the provision of state religion.
The party's vice-president, Ushatan Talukdar, said, 'We trusted you (government) and surrendered all our weapons and each and every bullet. But you have betrayed us by not implementing the treaty in 13 years.'
Pahari Chhatra Parishad's president Nitol Chakma, Adivasi Forum's leader Prakriti Ranjan Chakma and Udayan Tripura also spoke at the rally, which was presided over by JSS's Rangamati unit president Gyanendu Bikash Chakma.
A large procession was brought out after the rally that paraded through the major streets in the town.
Source : New Age
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