ST demand stir reaches Guwahati
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IMPHAL, May 19 : The Assam unit of the World Meetei Council (WMC) staged a sit in protest at Manipuri Rajbari at Guwahati today and appealed to Chief Minister N Biren Singh to send the recommendation to enlist Meetei/Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe (list) of the Constitution to the Centre.
The protest was organised in association with Manipuri Basti Meira Paibi (MBMP), Manipuri Rajbari Students’ Union (MRSU), United Manipuri Association Assam (UMAA) and Achanba Lup (AL), said WMC, Assam unit in a statement.
Saying that the Meeteis living in Assam have been demanding enlistment of the ethnic group in the ST list much before the Meeteis in Manipur, the Council continued that granting ST status to Meetei is indispensable to protect the identity of the ethnic group.
The Council went on to state that Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had already given his assurance to take up necessary action to grant ST status to Meeteis living in Assam as soon as Meetei in Manipur gets the ST tag.
Meetei people living in Assam won't be given the ST status until the ethnic group in Manipur is enlisted in the ST list of the Constitution, the WMC continued and maintained that Meetei people may disappear over the course of time if they are not given Constitutional protection in the form of ST. The Council, on behalf of the Meetei people in Assam, urged the CM to send the socio-economic and ethnography reports of Meetei as soon as possible so as to enlist it in the ST list before the 2026 delimitation.
The protest was organised in association with Manipuri Basti Meira Paibi (MBMP), Manipuri Rajbari Students’ Union (MRSU), United Manipuri Association Assam (UMAA) and Achanba Lup (AL), said WMC, Assam unit in a statement.
Saying that the Meeteis living in Assam have been demanding enlistment of the ethnic group in the ST list much before the Meeteis in Manipur, the Council continued that granting ST status to Meetei is indispensable to protect the identity of the ethnic group.
The Council went on to state that Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had already given his assurance to take up necessary action to grant ST status to Meeteis living in Assam as soon as Meetei in Manipur gets the ST tag.
Meetei people living in Assam won't be given the ST status until the ethnic group in Manipur is enlisted in the ST list of the Constitution, the WMC continued and maintained that Meetei people may disappear over the course of time if they are not given Constitutional protection in the form of ST. The Council, on behalf of the Meetei people in Assam, urged the CM to send the socio-economic and ethnography reports of Meetei as soon as possible so as to enlist it in the ST list before the 2026 delimitation.