“Agitating parties usually go on strike after their deadline expires,” Shankar Limbu, a member of the alliance, told myrepublica.com. “But we are doing so well before the deadline so as to exert pressure on the government to pay attention to our demands.”
According to Limbu, the alliance has decided to carry out ´soft´ protests in the first phase. “We will bring vehicular movement across the country to a standstill in the second phase beginning December 4, the day our ultimatum expires,” he said. The alliance is all set to call for agitations at a press meet to be held Sunday.
A huge gathering of representatives of all indigenous organizations set up the alliance on November 21. The following day the alliance, headed by noted indigenous leader Dr Krishna Bhattachan, had burnt a copy of a concept paper which was submitted by the Committee on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles at the Constituent Assembly (CA).
The alliance has demanded that the government honestly implement all past accords with different indigenous organizations. Besides, it wants the government to constitute a mechanism for indigenous CA members to incorporate their rights in the new constitution.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) also has written to the government twice to form an independent mechanism of indigenous CA members in line with the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention-169. "An independent mechanism is necessary because indigenous CA members cannot act on behalf of their communities if they remain hooked to their respective parties," Limbu said.
ILO Convention-169 enables indigenous communities to claim exclusive rights over natural resources.
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