WMC recalls how Meiteis missed the ST bus CM again urged to send sought report

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 21 : Claiming that Meetei/Meitei people are still not getting the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status due to  the objection by some Meetei/Meitei leaders in the past, the World Meetei Council (WMC) has asked Chief Minister N Biren Singh to assess all the threats the ethnic group has been facing and send the recommendation to enlist Meetei/Meitei in the ST list as soon as possible.
The WMC, in a statement, said that the proposals to add Meetei/Meitei in the ST list were rejected in 1951, 1956 and 1981.
Saying that former Member of Parliament R Suisa met educationists and social and political leaders of the Meetei/Meitei community with a proposal to add the ethnic group in 1956 while former Chief Minister Rishang Keishing raised the same matter on the floor of the State Assembly in 1981, WMC claimed that the proposals, however, were re- jected by Meetei/Meitei leaders.
Contemporary Naga social and political leaders Alfred Kanngam S Arthur, Ashang Kasar and Alyson Abonmai have also made it clear that opinion of other communities is not needed in seeking Constitutional safeguard of Meetei/Meitei in the form of ST, the WMC said and appealed to the Chief Minister to refrain from stating that sending the recommendation will anger the Nagas as it may create misunderstanding between the Meetei and Naga people.
Meetei/Meitei will become very weak if they are not  given the ST status before the 2026 delimitation exercise, the Council cautioned and urged the Chief Minister to send the ethnographic and socioeconomic reports of the ethnic group to the Centre as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the WMC continued its campaign demanding enlistment of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list at Sugnu Bus Parking today.
The demonstration was held along with the volunteers of Sugnu Apunba Meira Paibi Lup.
Some of the slogans which were raised by the protesters were "CM shouldn't blackmail the ST demand", "Resign all MLAs who support the CM for not sending the recommendation," "Only ST status can protect Meetei/Meitei," "CM should not equate the survival of Meetei/Meitei with his political survival" and "The fate of Meetei/Meitei can't be decided by other communities" among others.