MP Sanajaoba demands ST tag for Meitei/Meetei
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 06 2022:
Rajya Sabha MP Sanajaoba Leishemba raised a motion in the Upper House of the Parliament yesterday to include Meetei/Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe list of Indian Constitution under Article 342(1) .
The MP raised the motion as a special mention in the Rajya Sabha yesterday and urged the Central Government to take up necessary steps and send directives to the State Government at the earliest so as to give constitutional protection to Meetei/Meitei by including them in the ST list.
Expressing discontent over the failure to take up concrete measures regarding the demand, the MP said that many representatives of Meetei/Meitei have been urging the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs and other Union leaders since 2013 to include Meetei/Meitei in the ST list.
Despite the continued efforts, the Union and State Governments have not initiated any measures to fulfill the demand, he lamented, He also expressed the possibility of Meetei/Meitei becoming a minority group.
The MP said that Meitei/ Meetei may even become refugees if adequate measures are not taken up to safeguard the community constitutionally which has a glorious history of more than 5000 years.
It is worth mentioning that ever since Sanajaoba Leishemba became an MP, he has raised important matters concerning the State in the Parliament such as to grant classical language status to Manipuri language, include Meitei Mayek in Indian currency and declare Kangla as a world heritage site and have sought the attention of the Central Government on these matters.
Meanwhile, the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM), in a press release, has lauded MP Sanajaoba Leishemba for raising the motion in Rajya Sabha in the larger interest of the Meetei/Meitei community.
The STDCM also urged the State Government to ramp up the process to include Meetei/Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Indian Constitution.