WMC urges Biren Govt to act on ST demand
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IMPHAL, Apr 27
The World Meetei Council (WMC) has yet again urged the State Government to send the socio-economic and ethnography reports of Meetei/Meitei to the Centre to enlist the ethnic group in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list of the Constitution as soon as possible.
The council, in a statement, said that the fate of Meetei/Meitei will hang in balance if the ethnic group is not given the ST status before the 2026 delimitation exercise.
WMC urged Chief Minister N Biren Singh to understand all the threats the Meetei/Meitei people have been facing and do the needful at the earliest.
There were proposals to add the Meetei/Meitei in the ST list in 1951, 1956 and 1981 but all of them were rejected by the leaders of the ethnic group of the time, the WMC added.
Former Member of Parliament R Suisa met Meetei/Meitei educationists, and social and political leaders in 1956 with a proposal to add the Meetei/Meitei in the ST list and the same matter was raised before the State Assembly again in 1981 by for- mer Chief Minister Rishang Keishing, the WMC reminded and added that all the proposals, however, were rejected.
Naga social and political leaders Alfred K Arthur, Alyson Abonmai and Ashang Kasar have made it clear that the Meetei/Meitei seeking ST status doesn't need approval from other communities as enlistment of any community in the ST list has to be done Constitutionally, the council conti- nued and urged the State Govt to send the recommendation.
The WMC also urged the Chief Minister to stop saying that sending the recom- mendation will anger the Naga people as such narration could bring misunder- standing between the Meitei and Naga people who have been living together since time immemorial.
Meanwhile, the WMC staged a demonstration at Manipur College campus and demanded that Meetei/Meitei be given ST status.
Slogans such as "Granting ST tag is the only way to secure the future of Meitei" and "Send the recommendation" were raised during the demonstration.
The World Meetei Council (WMC) has yet again urged the State Government to send the socio-economic and ethnography reports of Meetei/Meitei to the Centre to enlist the ethnic group in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list of the Constitution as soon as possible.
The council, in a statement, said that the fate of Meetei/Meitei will hang in balance if the ethnic group is not given the ST status before the 2026 delimitation exercise.
WMC urged Chief Minister N Biren Singh to understand all the threats the Meetei/Meitei people have been facing and do the needful at the earliest.
There were proposals to add the Meetei/Meitei in the ST list in 1951, 1956 and 1981 but all of them were rejected by the leaders of the ethnic group of the time, the WMC added.
Former Member of Parliament R Suisa met Meetei/Meitei educationists, and social and political leaders in 1956 with a proposal to add the Meetei/Meitei in the ST list and the same matter was raised before the State Assembly again in 1981 by for- mer Chief Minister Rishang Keishing, the WMC reminded and added that all the proposals, however, were rejected.
Naga social and political leaders Alfred K Arthur, Alyson Abonmai and Ashang Kasar have made it clear that the Meetei/Meitei seeking ST status doesn't need approval from other communities as enlistment of any community in the ST list has to be done Constitutionally, the council conti- nued and urged the State Govt to send the recommendation.
The WMC also urged the Chief Minister to stop saying that sending the recom- mendation will anger the Naga people as such narration could bring misunder- standing between the Meitei and Naga people who have been living together since time immemorial.
Meanwhile, the WMC staged a demonstration at Manipur College campus and demanded that Meetei/Meitei be given ST status.
Slogans such as "Granting ST tag is the only way to secure the future of Meitei" and "Send the recommendation" were raised during the demonstration.