ST status campaign for Meiteis continues
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 11 2018: Noted academician as well as Manipur University's retired Professor, W Nabakumar, has expressed desire to discuss the matter of enlisting Meitei/Meetei in the ST list in the ongoing Manipur Legislative Session claiming that the burning issue needs to be discussed at length and given a logical conclusion.

The Professor was giving his opinion as a part of the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM)'s opinion seeking campaign from experts and eminent personalities on the issue of enlisting Meitei/Meetei in the ST list.

The Professor conveyed that in order to enlist Meitei/ Meetei in the ST list, the concept of tribe/tribal needs to be discussed from a political perspective rather than from an academic point of view as the Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste status in India has become Constitutional safeguard given to certain communities through political decision.

He mooted that there are no such communities or societies in India that really deserve or fulfill the characteristics of a tribe when viewed from academic perspective, like from the evolutionary perspectives advocated by Marxists scholars.

The communities/societies included in the ST and SC category, have almost lost maximum characteristics of being a tribe as every community has become a part of Indian democracy and not politically autonomous.

They no longer have isolation characteristics and self-sufficient economy due to the changes taking place in many aspects including advancement of communication systems in their region.

He pointed out that now in contrast to the earlier times when untouchability and the concept of pure and impure was deeply ingrained communities belonging to Scheduled Castes are dining together with general people apart from intermarriage.

Hence, there have been many changes in the identity and other characteristics of the communities enlisted in the ST or SC categories.

However, when viewed from India's contextual point of view, the communities enlisted in the ST or SC list are enlisted merely for Constitutional safeguard given to them by political decision, Nabakumar said.

He further stated that a tribal community or a caste-claimed community will become ST and SC only when the Constitution recognizes them.

Observing that the question of whether the communities belonging to ST or SC categories in today's society, truly deserve their status, should be discussed from a political perspective, the retired Professor said that the identities of the communities belonging to the ST and SC categories are very much blurred nowadays.

There is fear and strong apprehension among the Meities/Meetei community regarding whether their identity will get lost in their own land due to the dominance of external forces coming from outside the State, Nabakumar noted and added that the incessant influx of non-locals into the State and the existence of Meitei/Meetei as a small population/community compared to larger population of India, will also erode their political rights.

Hence, Meiteis/Meeteis face existential threat and pressures compelling them to seek a Constitutional provision for their protection thus prompting them to opt for enlistment in the ST category, he maintained and opined that the issue must be considered from a political perspective rather than an academic point of view.

He went on to maintain that it will be difficult to predict whether enlistment of Meitei/Meetei in the ST category will bring the hills and valley people closer or create a big gap.

Maintaining that Meiteis/Meeteis will get a sigh of relief if they are given Constitutional safeguard to protect their land, he stated that there may also be transformation or changes in the ST enlistment policy in the future as the extension of ST enlistment takes place after every 10 years.

Nabakurnar pointed out that India does not acknowledge the word/term indigenous people even to this day, although it is a signatory country of UN (which recognizes the word/term).

In India, "Adivasis" which means "first settlers" are preferred to describe the native people.

Therefore, Adivasis are also tribes or indigenous people and the word tribe is derived from the Latin word "Tribus".

When viewed from an evolutionary perspective, advocated by Marxist scholars, tribe is a stage where every society or community have existed during a stage of its evolution, and a community is said to have crossed the tribe stage when they become developed.

He also said that a community is considered to have finished the tribal stage if their living standard transforms into a centralized system by crossing the segmentary system.

Hence, there were arguments coming from some quarters why Meiteis/Meeteis should be enlisted in the ST list when they already form a centralized system during 33 AD with the alliance of various clans under king Pakhangba from Ningthouja clan as the king of a common Manipur.

On the other hand, in the context of India, tribe is determined by various characteristics like isolated geographical feature, having self-sufficient economy and being culturally and linguistically homogenous etc, he explained.

STDCM convenor M Churamani, executive members S Robindro and S Gourakishor were also present at the meet.

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