Titular king bats for ST status to Meiteis
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 21 2016: Stressing on the need to protect the valley area, titular king Leishemba Sanajaoba today said that the valley constitute merely 8 percent of the total geographical area of the State while the hills constitute 92 percent and called to bring the valley area under scheduled area.

The titular king said this on the sidelines of the relay hunger strike underway to demand that the Meiteis be included in the Scheduled Tribe list at the public ground at Wangkhei Angom Leikai and organised by the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur.

While 92 percent of the land which lie in the hills are Constitutionally protected as no non tribals can buy land there, the 8 percent of land in the valley area is up for grabs for anyone, added the titular king.

Relay hunger strike STDC

As things stand today, the 8 percent of land is occupied by people of all communities and once the train service starts then one can only imagine the situation, added Sanajaoba.

Everyone knows this grim reality, said the titular king and added as such it is imperative that the valley too should be made a scheduled area.

For this to become a reality, the Meiteis too should be included in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution of India, he added.

The main issues lying before the people presently are the movement to implement the ILP or a similar mechanism to check the large influx of non-local people into the State, the movement to include the Meiteis in the ST list and withdrawal of AFSPA from Manipur, said Sanajaoba.

For the Meiteis to survive, no stone should left unturned to protect their land and one sure way of doing that is for the Meiteis to be included in the ST list.

Once this is done then the valley area too will be a scheduled area, said Sanajaoba.

The relay hunger strike is on today to ensure the survival of the people, said Sanajaoba and added that the Government of India must heed the appeal to enforce ILP in the State and include Meities in the ST list.

President of Lainingthou Thougal Lup Oinam Menjor said that the Lup raised the demand to include Meiteis in the ST list in December 2007 and added that the STDCM is today raising the same demand.

The State Government too should support the movement to include the Meiteis in the ST list, he added.

A number of people also addressed the relay hunger strike today.