ATSUM reiterates objection to ST tag demand
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Imphal, October 22 2022:
As the movement of the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur (STDCM) deman-ding inclusion of Meitei/Meetei community in the ST list of India gaining momen-tum, the All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has urged the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) to peruse over the situation and intervene accordingly.
In a memorandum submitted today to Dinganglung Gangmei, Chairman of the HAC, the tribal student body said that it had time and again unequivocally expressed its stated position on this contested demand of the "majority community as it posed serious threat to the land and existence of tribal people with the empirical reasoning that the Meeteis/Meiteis are an advanced community marked by 2000 years of civilization, unbroken lineage of kingship, superlative cultural advancement with its exquisite classical dances purportedly shown as the finest form of arts, Meitei Language (Manipuri) recognised under the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution, urban civilization for eons, participation and signing of international treaties with the British in 1762 AD and 1826 AD, academic advancement with high literacy rate" .
The ATSUM memorandum also said, "The fact that the Meetei/Meitei community has done exceedingly well in the fields of technology, medical, engineering, sports and of late civil services under UPSC is indicative of their advancement".
According to the ATSUM, 15 students from the community cracked the NDA exam last year, two civil service this year and the bulk of MBBS successful students in the whole North-Eastern States came from the Meetei/Meitei community.
According to the ATSUM, it is a well known fact that the Meitei/Meetei community, the majority community in the state of Manipur, categorised as General, Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Classes is excelling and commanding in all aspects of life.
The ATSUM then alleged that despite being already categorised as SC and OBC, the same Meitei/Meetei community is propelling an intrusive agenda for inclusion in ST category with a sole objective of grasping the benefits accompanying the status.
The tribal student organisation then pointed out that the entry of the Meena community of Rajasthan into the ST category in the year 2008 has seriously dented the prospect of the other aspirants from the tribal community of India within the purview of UPSC, SSC and other equivalent examinations under the Government of India with them reaping the maximum benefits and the others in trickles.
"And if the Meetei/Meitei community which is far advanced than the Meena community is incorporated, it will definitely spell a collective doom for the whole tribal community of India and Manipur in particular," it added.
The ATSUM then said that it is duty bound to share its shared opinion and displeasure over the ill-conceived demand of the STDCM for recognition of ST to the Meeteis who have been living at par with the rest of the privileged section of societies in all spheres of lives for the past seventy-five years of Independence.
The ATSUM further said that the "illogical claim" that the Meiteis fulfilled all the criterion to become and Scheduled Tribe on the basis of Mongoloid race and prevalence of distinctive religion and culture is irrational on the ground that any community big or small practices some form of religion and possesses a unique culture of their own.
"In other words, having religion or separate culture doesn't necessarily mean or constitute the prime reason to include a particular community in the list of Scheduled Tribe," it said.
In the constitution of India, no criteria have been spelt out for specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe, the ATSUM added.
"As however, taking into account the definitions in a 1931 census and the reports of the First Backward Classes commission 1955, the advisory committee on revision of ST/SC 1967 and basically basing on Article 342 of the constitution, the following criteria are followed for specification of a community as a schedule tribe: a) Indication of primitive traits, (b) Distinctive culture, (c) Geographical isolation (d) Shyness of contact with community at large, and (e) Backwardness.
According to the ATSUM, it is quite obvious that the plain people viz.
Meeteis/Meitei were included in the general category of the people by the Central Government due to the simple fact that the meiteis have superseded the component characteristic of a tribe.
In the course of a continuous process of civilization for over a period of 2000 years dating back from 33 AD, the Meeteis have abandoned/discarded their primitive culture traits from being tribal to general, from rural or urbanization, economic backwardness to economically advance people in the valley of the golden kingdom (Sana Konung), the ATSUM further stated.
The empirical points of arguments and the modalities for deciding claims on inclusion of the Meeties in the Scheduled Tribe category involves rational philosophy to ascertain that the proposals are based on the broad criterion such as;
(a) Way of living
Habitation in geographically isolated areas, hilly terrains, desert, etc, prevalence of primitive traits in the matters of clothing, cleanliness etc, engagement in occupations like hunting, trapping of birds and animals, stone carvings, making articles from forest woods and bamboo, hide and skin work etc, mostly non-vegetarians with distinctive food habits like consuming roots and tubers, meats of animals, homemade alcoholic drinks etc.
(b) Social custom and religious practices
Peculiar ritual and ceremony for marriages, specific deities and peculiar ways of worshipping, peculiarity in dress eg wearing headgears, ornaments and tattooing etc, unflinching faith in the diktats of clan heads.
(c) Dialect
Peculiarity of language/dialect generally distinct from general population in the areas.
(d) Educational and Economic Status
Very poor rate of literacy as compared to the general literacy rate in the areas and living below poverty line and no sense of saving and dependence on money lenders.
"Generally speaking, the hill people are understood as Scheduled Tribe for their primitive characteristic, topographical isolation and economic backwardness.
As such, the Meitei/Meetei community do not deserve to be categorized as Scheduled Tribes under any circumstances," it further added.
It then called upon the HAC and its members to stand by the wish and desire of the tribal community of the State as and when the time comes for the State Government to discuss the claim of the STDCM for recognition of ST status to the Meitei/Meetei community.
It further said that the tribal community of Manipur will never accept "this devious demand" of the STDCM and should be prevented at all cost.
"As such, the HAC members, in the interest of the tribal community of the State, have to bear the onus of responsibility of thwarting the illogical and ill-conceived demand so as to avoid any serious repercussions in any eventuality," it added.
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