ST demand continues to ring out loud
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 09 2022: The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur (STDCM) continues to reach out to people to make its demand for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list of the Constitution of India stronger.

Today, sit-in protests were staged under the aegis of STDCM at Khurai Ayangpalli Road and Nambol Keithel wherein the protesters urged the State Government to initiate measures for granting ST tag to Meetei/Meitei by sending the ethnographic and socio economic reports of the ethnic group to the Centre at the earliest.

Notably, STDCM has repeatedly stated that they will intensify its movement from the second week of the current month if no positive response comes from the Government by then.

ST demand continues to ring out loud

The committee has also announced that they will convene a public convention on October 13 to decide what steps they will take up next to protect Meetei/Meitei.

The protest demonstration at Khurai Ayangpalli Road was organised by Youth Social Club cum Information Centre and Langdai Meira Paibi Nupi Lup in the presence of key functionaries of STDCM.

Speaking to media persons, STDCM co-convenor Chingsubam Manglemton Meetei said that granting ST tag is the only way to safeguard the future of Meetei/Meetei.

Saying that Meetei/Meitei will surely disappear if no Constitutional protection is given to them as soon as possible, he added that several communities in other States are also seeking ST tag while the Government at Odisha had written a letter to the Centre to grant ST tag to many of its communities there.

Manglemton further stated that the majority of the communities living in North East India are already included in the ST list of Indian Constitution and as such Meeteis/Meiteis are deprived of many benefits given by the Centre.

He then appealed to all clubs, civil, women and student organisations to attend the public convention on October 13 so as to make the movement demanding ST tag for Meetei/Meitei stronger.

A similar protest demonstration was also organised by Development Protection United Voluntary Organization and Nambol Apunba Nupi Lup at Nambol Keithel.

At all the protest sites, placards that read "No ST Status, No Rail Line" and "We Demand Inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list" were displayed.