President, PM petitioned to drop Chin-Kuki-Zo from ST list
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, December 19 2023:
Federation of Haomee (FoH) has petitioned the Prime Minister and the President of India for exclusion of Chin-Kuki-Zo people from the Scheduled Tribes list of Manipur.
A memorandum issued by FoH president Sapamcha Jadumani contended that the inclusion of Chin-Kuki-Zo people in the list of Scheduled Tribes is an illegal procedure considering their accounts of immigration to Manipur.
By virtue of self-identification as belonging to indigenous people or tribal people or aboriginals people means those descent from population who inhabited the country or geographical region at the time of conquest, colonisation or establishment of present state boundary.
Moreover, they retain own social, economic, political and cultural and traditional institutions.
However, Chin-Kuki-Zo people do not belong to such convention of self-identification as belonging to indigenous people or tribes.
Comparing that the indigenous tribe of Manipur are distinguishable from them and have Seven Yek Salai groups of aboriginal people called Hou/Hao, he maintained that Chin-Kuki-Zo people are replica of Hou/Hao people and have no meaning to belong in indigenous or tribes of Manipur.
So far, tribal is the word, used in India to refer the inhabitants who are indigenous and the Hindi word 'Adivasi' meaning indigenous in India and, the Hou/Hao indicate the Adivasi term in the language of Manipur.
Under, Article 366(25) of the constitution of India, prescribe the inclusion and exclusion of the Scheduled Tribes under Article 342 of the constitution.
However, The Constitution Scheduled Tribes (Part-C States) on September 20, 1951 included any Kuki, any Lushai tribes & any Naga Tribes under Article 342(1) in the Part-C state of Manipur.
As revealed in the chapter entitled Kuki Linguistic Groups in Historical Perspective in the book of one T Kipgen titled 'Kuki Society: Past, Present and Future', he (T.Kipgen) in his capacity as the then secretary (Home & Development) cleverly changed the name Mizo to any Mizo (Lushai) tribes but deleting the terms Kuki & Naga when he sent a letter on October 28 1955, which sought approval of the state government on a draft list of Scheduled Tribes of Manipur.
Consequently, any Mizo (Lushai) tribes appeared in the 1956 list and the earlier names any Kuki Tribe & any Naga Tribe that were in the 1951 order were dropped from the 1956 order.
His intention could be to bring the Mizo/Lushai tribes in hordes.
Such an action of Kipgen paved the way for insertion of any Kuki Tribes in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe list Amendment Act, 2022 once again.
From the perspective of historical records of Manipur and books, Chin-Kuki-Zo people are not liable to get the right of indigenous tribal of Manipur.
They are immigrants in Manipur.
In the book of Thomas Herbert Lewin titled 'Wild Races of the Eastern Frontier of India' it is mentioned that the origin of the tribes (Kuki) is a doubtful point.
While Pemberton ascribes them, a Malay Descent and wrote that they came originally from a country called Chainpango or Champanugger.
As to where this country is situated accounts vary somewhat.
By some opined to be near Malacca, this would ascribe to them a Malay origin (Thomas Herbert Lewin), Jadumani explained.
Moreover.
Political Agent of Manipur (1896) Sir James Johnston in his book 'Manipur and the Naga Hills' stated that the Kukis are wandering race consisting of several tribes who have long been working up from the South.
The first heard of the name Kuki was in British India period.
Their entry in Manipur was between 1830 and 1840 though a few of the tribes under the name "Kong-jais" served as subject of the Maharaja of Manipur and thus given naturalisation.
The new immigrants Kuki began to cause anxiety about the year 1845 and soon poured into the tracts of Manipur in such numbers as to drive away many of the native inhabitants.
Their original home is uncertain and they are readily distinguishable from Naga, he explained, while recounting that the Government of India also agreed to the requisition of R Suisa, an eminent Naga leader of Manipur, to grant the Kuki relief fund under Finance Ministry of Home Affairs GOI and payment made to the Ku kis by the state government of Manipur.
Not only this Kuki themselves claimed that they are descendants of Joseph, sons of Jacob, Isaac and Abraham.
It is imperative to state that more than 5000 Kuki Manashe people from Manipur and Mizoram have permanently settled in Kiryat Arba, Maclot, sdrod and Carmel localities of Israel.
In the present outbreak of Israel and Palestine war, Kuki Manashe joined as soldiers to save the motherland Israel.
Sapamcha Jadumani farther urged for exclusion of the Chin-Kuki-Zo people from the tribes list of Manipur and hoped to save the territory of Manipur as one of the Indian states.
Comment
