Land reforms to curb extremism: Sri Sri Ravishankar

Patna, Feb 22: Founder of ''Art of Living'' Sri Sri Ravishankar today said the ''obsolete'' land policy was responsible for social unrest in Manipur and called for an amendment to existing land laws to save the state from the tentacles of evil forces.

Addressing the followers at an interactive session, the Yoga exponent said the people in the hilly regions of Manipur had been kept in seclusion by putting a ban on land possession by non-tribals ''Eighty per cent of the Manipur's population--the Meities, are confined to 10 per cent of the geographical area in Manipur plains leaving the remaining 90 per cent land to 20 per cent of the hillmen'' he asserated.

As a result, youths in the plains had gone frustrated and directionless leading to the growth of extremism, he observed.

The 'Yoga guru' emphasised on launching a movement nationwide to exert pressure on the Governments to do away with the ban on purchase of land by non-tribals in the Manipur hills and scrap the laws enacted by the British rulers in this regard.

''Failure to take appropriate action would create a Jammu and Kashmir like situation in Manipur'', he warned.

UNI