Dr Deben backs ST demand for Meiteis
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 24 2022:
Expressing serious concern that the Meitei/Meetei community may disappear completely from the surface of earth in the coming days, Wabagai AC MLA Dr Usham Deben has unequivocally expressed support to the demand for enlisting the particular community in the Scheduled Tribe category under the Constitution of India.
As a part of their ongoing campaign to meet legislators and elicit their opinions on the demand of enlisting Meitei/Meetei in the ST category, a team of the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur (STDCM) called on Dr Usham Deben at his Langthabal Kunja (Canchipur) residence and submitted a memorandum.
Expressing his opinion on the STDCM's movement, Dr Usham Deben told media persons that he fully supports the clamour for granting ST status to Meitei community.
Saying that there is a growing fear of the Meitei community disappearing from the surface of earth in the coming decades, the MLA remarked that the STDCM's movement is quite legitimate.
He said that the Meitei community has all the rights to demand Constitutional safeguards in order to protect themselves.
Other communities or groups have no right to raise objections or make undue interference when Meitei/Meetei seeks Constitutional safeguards to protect themselves, he said.
Assuring that he would raise the STDCM's demand to the Chief Minister and the Central Government, Dr Usham Deben pledged that he would contribute at his best level in the collective efforts towards achieving the demand.
Notably, the STDCM has been demanding recognition of Meitei/Meetei as an ST community since many years back and they have been asking the State Government to send a recommendation along with all the requisite documents to the Central Government for enlistment of Meitei/Meetei in the ST category.