STDCM gives wake up call to Govt on ST demand
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, October 07 2023:
Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur (STDCM) has urged the state government to do the needful for sending recommendation to the Centre for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list of the Indian Constitution.
Addressing a press conference at Hotel Phouoibi, North AOC, here, on Saturday, STDCM president Yumnam Dhiraj said that the future of Meetei/Meitei community will continue to remain uncertain if the community does not figure in the ST list.
Accordingly, the government of Manipur should take up necessary steps for sending the requisite recommendation, ethnography and social-economic survey report to the Centre for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list, he said and declared that the Committee will start launching agitation in coordination with the people.
According to Dhiraj, none of the MPs of India mentioned Chin-Kuki terrorists behind the violence erupted on May 3 but they instead cited the violence as Hindu versus Christian and tribal versus non-tribal conflict thereby putting Meetei/Meitei in dangerous situation that could even deprive them from being recognised as ST.
If the Meetei/Meitei community had been recognised as ST, the community would have received support from many global communities, he said, adding that the demand for ST status of Meetei/Meitei needs to be promoted at the present juncture.
The more than five months long violence is beginning to recede and it is worth mentioning at this moment that the Bill for inclusion of 41 communities of Assam including Tai Ahom in the ST list of Indian Constitution was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on January 9, 2019 and there is possibility of passing the same Bill in the Parliament anytime.
If the Bill gets through the Parliament, then Meetei/Meitei will be the only community left without ST status in the North East and hence the community will be in critical condition in such a situation, Dhiraj said and urged the Government of Manipur to take up necessary steps for sending recommendation to the Centre at the earliest.
Earlier, STDCM chief patron Moirangthem Naodalenkhomba and other functionaries launched a website of STDCM on the occasion.