Question of Survival
- 24th March 2023 -
*
It is not without reason that WMC has genuinely felt that some people especially from among the nonindigenous people in Manipur are planning to block the genuine demand of the Meetei people to include in the
list of Scheduled Tribes by spreading false propaganda. The reasons for this plan is not difficult to understand.
The fact is, Meetei who from their historical position of being the big brother have now dwindled to a Humpty Dumpty due to the misdeeds committed by Meetei leaders only. Today the Meetei are confined in less than 6% of the total area of Manipur. Demographics is also posing another crisis and till 1971 census there was Socio-political equilibrium among the communities.
However after the unchecked influx of illegal migrants from across the international border especially from neighbouring Myanmar the demography showed a fundamental change. The illegal migrants had merged with the local population having matching ethnicity. This has caused an unhealthy effects to the Socio-political atmosphere in Manipur.
We know that this migrant community have been planning to carve out a homeland from this tiny state. The students and CSOs have been urging the government to implement NRC.
Not surprisingly this group of people is planting the theory of land grabbing by the Meetei in case Meetei become ST, knowing fully well that the Meetei people would not live in the hills even if they are given land free of cost, so that their attempt to dominate the hills is unhindered.
They have put up theories such as, Meetei would seize all the advantages of the Naga and Kuki-Chin people provided by the provision of ST as if the indigenous Nagas are fools. But the fact is migrants and their descendants cannot be Scheduled Tribe according to law. And therefore the Government of India has yet to amend the constitution accordingly.
Interestingly this group of people also claim that they are Jewish and after necessary scrutiny the Israeli government had accepted them as Jewish people and accordingly migration had started to Israel from Manipur of which records are available in the government. The point is such things are beyond the idea of Meetei and Naga because being indigenous their mythology and their historical experiences is confined in the region unlike the migrant population.
However WMC welcome any gesture from any group to sit across the table in any venue, maybe at Amity Hall, Adimjati Complex, Imphal or any venue as convenient to them to clarify the points they usually raise every now and then through the media.
Finally WMC urges the government of Manipur and the centre to expedite the process to include Meetei in the list of Scheduled Tribes of the Indian Constitution.
Yambem Arun Meetei
Secretary General
CEC - World Meetei Council
www.worldmeeteicouncil.com
* This info was sent to e-pao.net by World Meetei Council who can be contacted at worldmeeteicouncil(AT)gmail(DOT)com
This article was posted on March 25, 2023 .
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