ST demand for Meeteis/Meiteis: WMC shares thoughts with ANSAM
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 02 2022:
Reacting sharply to the opposition raised by ANSAM, the World Meetei Council (WMC) has claimed that the apex student's organisation of the Nagas has insulted their ancestors who fought valiantly against their foes by raising concern on a matter pertaining to the survivability of the other.
The stand of ANSAM comes close on the heels of the All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur having opposed the ST demand for Meiteis earlier.
In a statement issued today, the WMC said that they are open to any discussion and dialogue on the issue with no condition whatsoever.
Notably, ANSAM is not the first to react against the movement as All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) has also been opposing the demand of the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur (STDCM) and WMC.
The students' union has also submitted memoranda to different Central leaders, expressing their view why the Meeteis/Meiteis should not be added in the ST list after STDCM started taking their movement to the doorsteps of several Ministers and MLAs.
What the STDCM has been demanding is for the State Government to send the ethnography and socioeconomic reports of the Meeteis/Meeteis to the Centre so as to consider whether the ethnic group is eligible for categorisation as a ST and get some Constitutional safeguard to protect their future.
ANSAM and ATSUM, however, claimed that granting ST tag to the Meetei/Meitei would be a misjudgment as the ethnic group has a rich cultural past and is civilised.
Though the State Government hasn't said anything official about the movement of STDCM, most of the valley MLAs have approved the demand while the Hill Areas Committee has made its stand clear that the genuineness of the demand will only be decided by the competent authority.
WMC, in its statement, asked whether the Nagas will be bullied and swallowed if the Meeteis/Meiteis become ST.
The council also claimed that any community which has some pride in itself would not be so scared of anyone with whom they have been living together and have had a shared history since time immemorial.
"Today WMC is in a state of ecstasy and that we cannot but express its true feeling that we are feeling so proud to learn that some Meeteis/Meiteis belong to a giant race," it added.
Saying that to some people even the provisions of the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution is threatened by the Meetei/Meitei, the WMC said that they are open to any discussion on the matter with no condition whatsoever.