STDCM questions CM's silence
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 03 2023: The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM) has asked why Chief Minister N Biren Singh is still not making any comment on enlisting Meetei/Meitei in the ST list even when 34 MLAs have already approved their demand.

The Committee also stated that Chief Minister N Biren Singh should have said something about their movement which is to secure the future of Meetei/Meitei during the Assembly session as he is aware of the mass movement of the people.

Today, volunteers of STDCM and womenfolk of Khwairamband Keithel staged a demonstration at Khwairamband Keithel and urged the State Government to forward the latest socioeconomic and ethnographic reports of Meetei/Meitei to the Centre at the earliest.

The demonstrators also appealed to the Government to take up prompt initiatives to enlist Meetei/Meitei in the ST list of the Constitution.

Speaking to media persons, STDCM working president Laishram Lokendra said that the Chief Minister can take the decision to send the recommendation at any moment as their demand has already been approved by 34 MLAs.

He then appealed to the State Government to convene a Cabinet meeting and take up necessary initiatives to send the recommendation.

Saying that they have been urging the Government to grant tribal status to the Meetei/Meitei since the past many years and to discuss the same at the State Assembly, Lokendra maintained that the representatives not raising the demand during the Assembly session was rather unfortunate.

"Had any of the MLAs raised the issue then some response would surely come," he observed.

Co-convenor of the Working Committee Khwairamband-Ima Keithel Asem Nirmala conveyed that they endorse the movement of STDCM as it is the only means to protect Meetei/Meitei whose existence has been threatened by several factors.

"We all want the addition of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list," she said.

Comment