DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 9 (MExN): The World Meetei Council (WMC) on Saturday asserted that the root cause of the ongoing violence in Manipur is the result of extremely unequal constitutional disposition that the Meetei’s are meted out.
“Meetei, since the enactment of the constitution of India have been subtly been reduced as strangers or second-class citizens in their own state. Sadly, this has been done with the knowledge of the Meetei leaders who didn’t have the wisdom of governance till today. The violence that we are going through couldn’t have happened if the Meetei were also rightful citizens in Manipur,” a press release issued CEC-WMC secretary general Yambem Arun Meeti stated.
It alleged that a “Myanmarese Chinkuki” could come to Manipur and become a rightful citizen the next day in the name of Schedule Tribe. “The truth is today the Nagas and the immigrant Chinkukis are the sole rightful citizens in Manipur. This is possible due to the constitutional disposition for which the government of India and government of Manipur are responsible.”
It also claimed that the indigenous Meetei are the victims especially when the Nagas have also taken the side with immigrants for their immediate convenience. Towards this, it called for “sense to prevail upon the Nagas.”
Stating that there can be no durable peace if justice is not given to the Meetei, the WMC, in the larger interest of the Nation, has urged the Prime Minister to rectify the constitutional disarrangement that has been the root cause of the crisis by including the Meetei in the list of Scheduled Tribe without further delay.
