A large number of people seen during the mass rally in Imphal on march 3 demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meetei/Meitei community. (Photo Courtesy: NNN)
Newmai News Network
Imphal | March 3
A large number of people took part in a mass rally in Imphal on Sunday, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meetei/Meitei community.
A public meeting in the concluding part of the rally set March 6 deadline to the Manipur Government to send its recommendation to the Centre for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list of India. If the State Government of Manipur fails to send the recommendation to the Central Government by the deadline set then agitation will begin any day thereafter, the meeting resolved.
The rally was organised by Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM) of the Meitei community.
Asserting that those political parties that do not support the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the ST list of India will be treated as anti-Meitei/Meetei, the public meeting further resolved to boycott those political parties and campaign against them in any election, including the coming Lok Sabha poll.
The meeting then endorsed earlier decision of Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur (STDCM) regarding ban on the works related with the railway line construction in the state and resolved to commence it from March 11 next.
Mention may be made that STDCM recently threatened to launch the stir of banning the railway line construction in the state as part of its ongoing campaign on the same demand. However, it was deferred following a talk with the State Government. Sunday’s meeting resolved that the ban will be for indefinite period.
The STDCM organised the Sunday's mass rally which kick-started from THAU Ground and culminated at Hatta Kangjeibung (Palace Compound) where the public meeting was held.
Legal and constitutional experts were among others who spoke at the meeting, supporting the demand of the STDCM that the State Government recommends the Centre for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list. They observed that inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list has become necessary to safeguard the Meitei community. The "Meitei/Meetei fulfills" all the criteria of being a scheduled tribe set in the Constitution of India, they added.
"The Meitei community has no constitutional safeguard to protect themselves and if ST status is granted to them, they will have the much needed constitutional protection", the speakers said.
Meanwhile, leaders of the STDCM strongly charged the State Government for its alleged dilly-dallying tactics on the recommendation to the Centre. They alleged that the State Government has not done anything yet to send a recommendation to the Centre for inclusion of Meitei community in ST list.
Recalling that the campaign for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei had started from 2011, they further alleged the successive State Governments are paying any heed till today.
Meanwhile, almost all the shops and other business establishments remained closed during the rally, responding to appeals of the STDCM to suspend all chores of the day and take part in the rally. The three market-sheds of iconic Ima Keithel (all-women run) wore a deserted look as the women vendors suspended their business activities of the day and took part in the rally.
