Newmai News Network Imphal | August 31 After remaining in low profile for several months, the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) of the Meitei community has served 15 days ultimatum to the State Government of Manipur to send recommendation to the Central Government for the inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe list of India. Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, K. Bhogendrajit, General Secretary in-Charge of STDCM said their movement started in the year 2011 but the government is not paying any heed till today. The movement for the inclusion of Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list of India, he stated, is to get constitutional safeguard of the community as in the case of other tribes in the state. STDCM also said they had submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Governor on November 30, 2012. Its leaders further informed that they had talked with the present government of Manipur on October 24, 2017 and that the talk was quite encouraging then. “But after some rounds of talk with the government things seemed to have grown cold,” STDCM leaders rued. They also said the committee had urged several times to the government to resume talks but till date no response has come forth. “Our demand is genuine and constitutionally right,” said the STDCM leaders, adding they will continue with their demand till they achieve it. The STDCM leaders added that since the government is not paying heed to their demand they are “now ready to begin democratic forms of agitation.” They said the committee will wait till September 15 for the government to act.
