'No debate on ST status for Meiteis'
Source: The Sangai Express

Bpr, March 14 2018: Retired Principal of Moirang College and current Assessor of National Assessment for Accreditation Council (NAAC), Dr Akoijam Sunderkumar Singh, has claimed that there is no point in debating the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei/Meetei community in the ST list.

Speaking to media persons as a part of the campaign by the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM) Bishnupur district, for seeking the feedback/opinion of reknowed and prominent personalities of the State regarding the inclusion of Meitei in the ST list, at the residence of Moirang College Associate Professor Ningthoujam Joy at Moirang Konjengbam Leikai today, Dr Akoijam Sunderkumar Singh said that the people living in the valley, also used to inhabit the hill areas of the State in the past.

They gradually began to settle in the valley around 200 years ago, he claimed.

In the early days, Manipur was divided into Angom, Khuman, Khaba-Nganba, Luwang, Moirang, Ningthouja and Sharang-Leishangthem.

During 33 AD, only Ningthouja were known as Meitei/Meetei and gradually, all seven were united and came to be commonly known as Meitei/Meetei.

Dr Akoijam Sunderkumar mentioned that history of the Tangkhul Nagas, a book written by ASW Shimray states that Meitei and Tangkhul are siblings, a point which is emphasised in various other books written by other indigenous writers as well.

As such, it is impossible to debate the inclusion of the Meitei/Meetei community in the ST list, he added.

Pointing out that only the Meitei/Meetei community has been left out from being included in the ST list, in the whole North East region, Dr Akoijam Sunderkumar questioned why the Meitei/Meetei community has been segregated into three categories, namely General, OBC and Scheduled Caste.

Before Hinduism infiltrated the State, all the indigenous communities were in the ST list.

He pointed out that Manipur is 90 percent hills and only 10 percent is valley area, and as such there is no point in objecting or debating the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the ST list.

Dr Sunderkumar explained that inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the ST list will not affect any other indigenous communities/tribes and added that inclusion of the community in the ST list will just create Manipur hills tribe and valley tribes, without any impact on the various benefits provided by the Constitution.

He further expressed concern that Meitei/Meetei may become a minority community in the near future and added that the demands for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the ST list is a valid demand.

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