The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) on Thursday announced that a nationwide campaign would be launched from September 12 to push the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list under the Indian constitution.
“A 10 person team from Manipur will be at the forefront of the campaign and meet with various political, social and spiritual leaders to garner their support for the movement,” the union stated.
Speaking to the media at the Manipur Press Club, MMTU secretary Mutum Churamani highlighted that the community, as a whole, had been pushing for the demand for the last 12 years despite the state government neglecting the issue.
He expressed concerns that prolonged failure to include the Meitei community could lead to detrimental marginalization in political, economic, social, and land ownership.
The community will face these problems by 2050 if these problems persist, he added.
As such, he stressed the need for political leaders to properly assess the situation and take a firm political stand on the matter. The issue lacks proper political awareness, he added.
He pointed out that Kuki immigrants in Manipur used to pay land and house taxes to indigenous tribes in the 1960s.
“Even with their fragile historical standing, they have been granted ST status and are benefitting from it, leading to disparities even among the tribals,” he said.
He highlighted that MMTU’s mass miss call campaign organised last year received huge support from the public.
The union further stated that all preparations for the nationwide campaign had been made and that it would use powerpoint presentations to garner support from people outside the community.
