STDC flays Dy CM's comment
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 27 2014 :
While acknowledging MLA Dr I Ibohalbi's role in initiating a debate in the State Assembly on the demand for including Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe list as well as Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam's positive response, the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee (STDC) Manipur castigated the latter's comment which read as, "it is heartening to hear that those in the upper social strata want to come down while we, already included in ST list, wish to come out of it" .
A press release issued by STDC questioned as to how many tribes in Manipur have expressed their desire and applied for withdrawing from the ST list.
At a time when more and more communities all over India including six from Assam have applied for inclusion in ST list, it would be appreciated if the Deputy Chief Minister would make it public the names of the tribes of Manipur wanting to withdraw from the ST list.
It would be appreciated if the Deputy Chief Minister in the interest of Manipur refrains from making such statement as "Awangbada leiramlaga khumtharaklage...." implying Meiteis as superior and tribes as inferior against the spirit of the Constitution of India as it is likely to create emotional divide between communities in Manipur which would be ant-Constitutional.