MMTU presses political parties on ST demand
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, March 30 2024: In view of its 'No ST, No Vote' campaign, Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) has pressed political parties to reply to their letter regarding ST demand at the earliest, based on which the union would decide their participation in poll process, while cautioning that they will not only boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha election but also any other election slated to be held in the state in future.

In a release, MMTU Women's Wing convener Th Rupanjali appealed to the public to support the Union's stand.

MMTU observed that its time that people deliberate on whether the present electoral system of India is suitable with the modem time.

The system that started after India becoming a sovereign republic in 1950 is nothing but a copy of the polling process adopted by erstwhile colonial masters as well as the acts, law, regulation system, which were enacted considering the low education among people during that period, it added.

MMTU claimed that India's democratic standard is very low amongst 165 democratic countries in the world as many tainted politicians with criminal records have been elected undermining democracy.

Today's election is not election but selection based on muscle and money power.

It is well known that a politician with 20 per cent vote share is declared a winner in election in contradiction to 80 per cent voters, who did not vote for him or her, it noted.

Pointing out that people of the state, today, are well educated with literacy rate of 76.94 per cent and are very much capable of educated voting, MMTU urged the voters to deeply study the present status of the indigenes of the state as they have been reduced to refugees in their own state, while participating in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

It is very unfortunate that the state assembly debated on women obstructing commuters on the road for selling items to earn their livelihood but it did not deliberate on why these women are on the road.

Due to ongoing conflict, people are on guard 24x7 to protect their villages, there is no guarantee on what lies ahead in their future, many victims have mental issues and many families have not stopped grieving for their family members died in the conflict.

In this situation, how one can ask them to vote, it decried.

MMTU further emphasised that the Union, for past 12-13 years, has been pressing for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in ST list to provide a Constitution safeguard as the community's identity has been suppressed for past 72-73 years, which has resulted in the present condition where its population, inhabited area and share in governance has decreased significantly.

Hence, the Union has been relentlessly agitating for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in ST list with numerous campaigns and even Submitted a writ petition to the court but the government has maintained a stoic silence over it.

The one-year period requested by the government to the High Court of Manipur regarding the matter has also passed.

With the enforcement of Model Code of Conduct, no further step can be taken up now, it further lamented.

MMTU reiterated that under this situation it has launched the 'No ST, No Vote' campaign and asks political parties to reply to their letter in this regard as soon as possible.

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