WMC sticks to stand, CM urged to act on ST issue
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 25 2024:
Manipur state unit of World Meetei Council (WMC) has urged the chief minister to ensure that the Meeteis are included in the ST list of the Indian Constitution before the 2026 delimitation exercise by sending the 'Ethnographic Report' and 'Latest Socio-Economic Report' to the authority concerned.
In a statement, WMC Manipur president U Kunjo Singh pointed out that when any species or community faces threats, endangerment or extinction, governments enact national and international laws to protect and preserve them, fearing their complete disappearance from the surface of the earth.
The Sangai and Pony of Manipur are examples of endangered species for which the state government is implementing protective measures.
The statement also highlighted instances where the marginalised communities have been threatened or assimilated by larger ones, with the Meetei community being among those endangered.
The statement pointed out that the Meetei community's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) stands at 1.77, below the 2.22 rate necessary for stability of population, while the TFR of the Kuki community exceeds 4/5.Experts caution that without Constitutional safeguards, the Meetei community could face extinction in the foreseeable future, the statement reminded.
WMC also noted that the primary protection for the Meetei community lies in constitutional safeguards, specifically its inclusion in the ST list of the Indian Constitution.
Therefore, the chief minister must ensure inclusion of Meeteis in the ST list before the 2026 delimitation process by submitting the 'Ethnographic Report' and 'Latest Socio-Economic Report' to the relevant authority.
Failing to take this initiative could place the Meetei population in a precarious situation with no recourse, it mentioned, adding that the two reports must be submitted by August this year or else the chief minister will be viewed as unfit for leadership, and intense protests launched by the public to demand his removal from office.