A consultation meeting on the present Manipur crisis organised by the Manipur People’s Club (MPC) and Meihum-Morok group resolved to demand a uniform land law in Manipur and also added that the club and all its affiliates would extend necessary aid in the formulation of a united Meitei body.
Altogether four resolutions were taken in the meeting held at Keishampat Thokchom Leikai Community Hall on Saturday.
Participants of the meeting also unanimously resolved to further demand for a review of the SoO agreement with Kuki militants and implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur.
On the occasion, Sanaleibak Daily editor Hemanta Ningomba highlighted the need for Meitei society to realign its focus on the demographic changes and the eroding cultural values in the society.
“For many years, the Meitei’s demography has been on a slow decline and this downward spiral would be visible when the latest census report is finished and published,” he said.
He stated that the conduct of delimitation after the publication of the report would present a devastating reality for the Meiteis.
“Our existence would be in question when delimitation happens, on top of that the absence of any constitutional safeguard for the community would cement our extinction from Manipur,” he added.
He stressed the urgent need for people to unite and assert the demand for a feasible constitutional safeguard to preserve the rights of Meiteis and further claimed that the protection of the Meitei community would be next to impossible without one.
On the other hand, Hemanta maintained the degradation of aged old cultural values and traditions over the last few decades had put the Meiteis in a very fragile and frantic position.
The society is slowly beginning to realise the impact of the degradation; the complete blackout of people on the state’s authentic verified history has put the community in an extremely vulnerable position, he said.
He stated that the failure to conjure a collective patriotic front resulted from the erosion of such values and traditions from society.
Meanwhile, Meetei Tribe Union (MTU) secretary Mutum Churamani emphasised the need for Meiteis to hold on to traditional values which exhorted affable relations between all indigenous communities in the state.
He maintained that no enemy could infringe on another community if it had deep-rooted connections with the past and the present.
“A community which safeguards history and promotes good cultural values will never be dethroned,” he added.
Retired principal of GP Women’s College Haorokcham Rajen Singh and MPC advisor Salam Imocha Singh were also present in the meeting.
