AITSA on demand for ST status for Meiteis

13th July 2013

The All India Tribal Students Association, (AITSA) Delhi / Manipur, welcome the general meitei to return back to its original mongoloid tribal family, after more than 60 years of being misled and wandering as a higher caste / general category, would be an emotional home coming.

K.Zou President of AITSA, and Convener, Mongoloid Peoples forum, states that, if the cohesive existence of the people of Manipur, who were divided into Tribal, scheduled caste and general, after the merger of Manipur to the Indian Union in 1950 can be restored by recognizing the general meitei’s as scheduled tribe, there is nothing better.

The bold step taken by the STDCM, can turn Manipur into a tribal state like Nagaland, Mizoram etc, wherein, the state resources including employment can be equally divided within the various tribes and no particular tribe can take the lion’s share of the benefits. The Meitei Scheduled caste communities from Sekmai, Andhro, Khurkhur, Kotha, phayeng, chairel, etc, should also be included in the list of scheduled tribes.

An ideal Manipur will emerge only when we can share and respect our rightful entitlement. Debarring a tribal officer from availing his procedural course of promotion in the high office of the state secretariat will be done away when Manipur become a tribal state.

However, if the intention of the STDCM is merely for the purpose of getting the benefits of reservation in employment, UPSC, and begging for “loli pops” as a scheduled tribe community (the most backward and dishonored community in the country), it shall not be in the interest of the larger mongoloid tribal community.

Mongoloid tribes of the Himalayan range are already reduced to a mere chinki / chini /pahari `scheduled tribe / caste / OBC in the country, psychology branded as unnatural Indian in the mainland. We are not beggar in our own land. We need our rightful share of entitlement (Quota) as people of Northeast Region and not as SC/ST/OBC alone.

K. Zou further states that, reservation policy is more of a positive discrimination than a protection. A general candidate can get job all over the country but SC/ST can apply only in the central and the state in which they are recognized and not as a general candidate. As of now, a Meitei can apply job all over the country which will not be possible after recognizing them as ST. Let’s think twice.

ISSUE IN PUBLIC INTEREST

(Raju Deori)
General Secretary, AITSA, DELHI