STDCM : Matter already raised before PM earlier, response positive, claims Biswajit
STDCM takes ST demand to Power Minister
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 03 2022: As a part of its ongoing movement to meet the legislators of the State one by one on the issue of enlisting Meitei/Meetei in the ST category, STDCM volunteers today met Power Minister Thongam Biswajit at his Sanjenthong quarters and submitted a memorandum.

Talking with the STDCM volunteers, Th Biswajit stated that the incumbent Government has been always working in the interest of the people and it would be amenable to any demand which would be beneficial to the masses.

He said that a positive atmosphere can be created if the issue is seen with a positive attitude.

"On sending a recommendation to the Central Government in favour of granting recognition to the Meitei/Meetei community as an ST community, the previous Government formed a committee and I was a member of the committee", Biswajit said.

STDCM : Matter already raised before PM earlier, response positive, claims Biswajit

"Led by the Chief Minister, we raised the matter before the Prime Minister.

To Prime Minister Narendra Modi's question whether enlistment of Meitei/Meetei in the ST category would affect others, we replied that there was no area where it could affect others", he said.

Claiming that the Central Government gave assurance that they would look into the matter, the Power Minister remarked that it was a positive response.

He went on to claim that they are not sitting idle on the issue.

"We also met the Union Minister of Home Affairs as well as the Minister of Defence and none of them said no to the demand.

They were ready to grant the demand if it would serve public interest and would not affect others", Biswajit conveyed.

All North East States in general and Manipur in particular have many ethnic groups with different languages and cultures and are abound with issues.

Manipur is often called the land of issues, he said.

Neither the Prime Minister nor the Union Home Minister nor the Chief Minister has any intention to sweep aside the demand for enlistment of Meitei/Meetei in ST category.

Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have been supporting every demand which would serve the interest of Manipur and its people, Biswajit said.

On the other hand, STDCM leaders urged the Power Minister to ensure that they are invited when any discussion is held on sending the requisite recommendation to the Central Government.

They also urged the Power Minister to facilitate a meeting between STDCM and those groups which are opposed to the demand for categorising Meitei/Meetei as an ST category.

Most of the communities of the North East including Manipur are tribes.

But many of these communities including Meitei were not included in the ST list in the initial phase.

Now they are being enlisted in the ST category one after another, the STDCM leaders said.

"We are only demanding official recognition of Meitei as a Scheduled Tribe just like other communities and it does not mean robbing the rights and opportunities of the ST communities", they said.

They asserted that they are fighting for a rightful cause of the Meiteis by demanding the fundamental rights enshrined in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

STDCM president Dhiraj Yumnam hailed Power Minister Biswajit's assurance that he would talk with the Chief Minister on sending the requisite recommendation to the Centre.

Saying that they received a very positive response from the Power Minister, Dhiraj exuded confidence that Biswajit would take the matter forward.

"If there are groups which have objections to the demand, they may talk with the Government and we would be happy to join the dialogue, if possible", the STDCM president said.