Continuing their poster campaign, the Schedule Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM) on Sunday met independent MP candidate Haorungbam Sarat to solidify his stance on the demand to include Meitei/Meetei in the ST list.
Speaking to media at his residence in Imphal East, independent candidate H Sarat stated that past mistakes were the primary reason behind late realisation of the demand.
“The Meiteis fulfilled all the criterias for the inclusion in 1955 but due to shallowness of people during that period the issue was not properly attended to,” he said.
He maintained that Meiteis would not be in a sticky situation at present if the issue had been properly resolved back then.
“The Meiteis do not have any spatial freedom in the North East. Any person from the North East and hill areas in Manipur can acquire land in Imphal but the Meiteis are boxed in,” he said.
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He expressed concern that Meiteis would have no land ownership and be driven out easily in the next few years. He noted that ST inclusion was the only way to safeguard against this impending threat and provide opportunities for posterity.
“This is our constitutional right,” he added. Meanwhile, the STDCM maintained that they would continue the campaign to garner support of the MP candidates on the demand.
STDCM president Dhiraj Yumnam, Working president Laishram Lokendro and other members were present during the campaign.
‘Meetei in ST List is must’
Asserting that inclusion of Meetei in ST list is of paramount importance to save the Meeteis, President of WMC Manipur Unit, Urikkimbam Kunjo Singh on Sunday urged the authorities concerned to do the needful to save the community before it is wiped out.
A flash protest was held at Hiyanglam Makha Leikai headed by the WMC Manipur Unit President, Joint secretary Elangbam Brojenkumar Singh including volunteers of Hiyanglam Apunba meira paibis on Sunday, stated a release.
Taking part in the protest, Kunjo alleged that the state government sidelined the crucial demand and diverted the minds of the people by giving false hopes of implementing NRC and fencing boundaries during the Assembly session, it said. He maintained that NRC and border fencing might protect the state’s territorial integrity but will not help in saving the indigenous Meeteis, it added.
He asserted that inclusion of Meeteis is the only way to save the indigenous community and urged the state government to send the Socio Economic and Ethnographic reports of the Meeteis without further delay, it mentioned. Failure to include the Meeteis in ST list before 2026 delimitation can have unwanted repercussions, he said. Protesters also chanted various slogans, it mentioned.
