Raising the ST banner again :: Stand of Imphal?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 11, 2022 -

Apart from when, the all important question is, will the Government send the needed recommendation?

It is also important to question how far the ultimatum of an 'uncontrollable mass agitation' from the people is feasible or not.

The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee has been putting forth the convincing argument that despite the Centre asking the State Government to send the needed recommendations so that the case of including the Meetei/Meitei community in the ST list can be considered as far back as 2013, the State Government has not done the needful.

In other words this could mean that the State Government, dating back from the Congress days, has been sleeping over the demand that the Meeteis/Meiteis be included in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution of India.

The Sangai Express has already raised this point earlier and once again it is being repeated here - It would help so much more and throw some light on the matter, if the STDCM or the World Meetei Council could produce the intimation from the Centre asking the State Government to send the needed recommendation before the media.

Recommendation asked in 2013 is now an old line, and this is where it becomes important for the votaries of the ST demand to at least produce a copy of the intimation from the Centre to the State Government.

Not clear why this has not been thought of earlier, but it would be a gross folly on the part of the STDCM and the WMC to continue under the presumption that the people ought to believe whatever they say.

This is not making a point on whether the Meeteis/Meiteis should be included in the ST list or not, but to at least take the people into confidence and along with their stand.

Or is it going to be a case of 'if the STDCM or WMC say this, it has to be right' or expect the people to believe whatever is being said on the public domain?

There is something missing somewhere and it would give the ST stand of STDCM and WMC all that more credibility if they can produce the needed documents, notably the communication to the State Government.

Or if they do not have the document, then spell it out and at least try to get a copy of the communication so that questions on the veracity of the claim can be answered.

The logic behind the call for setting the base year for ILPS at 1951, the call for conducting NRC, the proposal to set up State Population Commission and the recent announcement of the Chief Minister that no Government recognition would be given to villages with less than 50 households should be understood in the larger context of protecting the land and scarce resources of Manipur.

And being included in the ST list can certainly go a long way in addressing some of the points raised just now.

Or if the people are convinced that being included in the ST category would amount to taking a step or two backward, then look for the avenues to protect the land and resources of the people.

The demand for Inner Line Permit System may be seen in this context but remember the said system would have been in place, if Manipur had been recognised as a land inhabited by Scheduled Tribes.

It also stands that Constitutional protection is one sure shot way of protecting the interests of the Meetei/Meitei people but as pointed out earlier, if anyone is of the opinion that the said community can continue to exist without such a protection, then so be it.

It is in the face of such divergent views that the ST demand has been raised but it would be so much better if the State Government can spell out its stand.

Does not make things any easier by maintaining an indifferent stand on the issue and this is where it becomes important for Imphal to speak out its mind.