Dr Bilashini joins pro-ST bandwagon
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 21 2018: Observing that Meiteis/Meeteis form a very small community and they find it hard to compete with other general category communities of India who are numerically much bigger, former Director of Family Welfare and renowned gynaecologist Dr T Bilashini observed that it is high time for the Government and all concerned to find suitable ways to include the community in the ST list.

Sharing her opinion in the 12th episode of the ongoing campaign of seeking opinions from experts and eminent personalities of the State regarding the issue of enlisting Meiteis/Meeteis in the ST list, Dr Bilashini said that the campaign spearheaded by the Schedule Tribe Demand Committee (STDCM) is quite reasonable.

According to Bilashini, who also works presently as the consultant gynaecologist at City Hospital, the demand for inclusion of Meiteis/Meeteis in the ST category is justified.

She said that the indigenous communities in the State were living together as one at one point of time and later Meiteis settled in the valley.

Meiteis/Meeteis were living in their own primitiveness as the agricultural produces of the State/kingdom were sufficient for their living.

Separation between the Meiteis/Meeteis and the other indigenous communities in the State started since the former community started considering themselves as superior to the other communities after they embraced Hinduism/Ramandi and adopted the concept of purity and impurity.

The Meiteis/Meeteis may have been enrolled in the general category just because they adopted Hinduism/Ramandi but there is no record for the inclusion of Meiteis/Meeteis in the general category.

Meiteis/Meeteis whose total population is minuscule as compared to other general category communities of India do riot have the capacity to compete other communities in this age of cut-throat competition.

If the Meiteis/Meeteis live as before, get back the status of tribe and get some benefits under the reservation policy of ST, the community, particularly the younger generations will be able to compete with the people of bigger States and can go at par with them, Bilashini said.

With development taking its own course, trains will be reaching the State and the roads will be improved.

Non-native people who are rich and wealthy will also continue to buy land from the economically backward local people in the valley region.

Therefore, it is worrisome that the Meiteis/Meeteis will be dominated by those wealthy people who get a foothold in the valley and they may ultimately disappear like Tripuris in Tripura.

However, if Meiteis/Meeteis are included in the ST list, the community will get some protection under the Constitution and will be safe to some extent from the threats coming from several dimensions, Bilashini observed.

She continued that it is high time for the Government and all concerned to consider suitable ways and means on how to enlist Meiteis/Meeteis in the ST list and provide some support for Meiteis/Meeteis under the Constitution for their growth.

Moreover, the community fulfils all the criteria for inclusion in the ST category, be it geographically, economically or culturally.

Hence, there is no harm in the inclusion of the community in the ST category, she said.

Many communities in various States of India such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are also demanding inclusion in the ST category as they came to know their deficiency and rights and some of them have been granted their demands in the recent years.

Hence, it is not a hard task for the authorities concerned to include Meiteis/Meeteis in the ST list, the former Director noted.

Therefore, it is right time for the Meiteis/Meeteis to fight for enlisting them in the ST list, she added.

Many members of STDCM including its convener Mutum Churamani, publicity chairman Th Gopimohon, executive members RK Tharaksana and T Khogen were also present in today's episode.

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