IMPHAL, June 23: The Schedule Tribe Demand Committee (STDC) has asserted that it would launch democratic form of agitation if the State government fails to materialise the demand of the committee during the ensuing monsoon session due to be held on June 26.
Speaking to media persons at the Manipur Press Club, retired Colonel L Lokendro, general secretary of STDC stated that as a first phase of their agitation it would organised a mass sit in protest at Keishampat Community hall followed by other forms of agitation thereof.
However, this protest will be peaceful, he said.
It may be recalled that the committee claimed that Meitei are tribal by birth but they are not included in the ST list and categorised under the General category and do not enjoy any constitutional safe guards as indigenous people.
Over 10 lakh odd Meiteis are apprehensive of going extinct from their land over the next 5 to 6 decades due to unabated influx from outside, he said.
Once Meiteis are included in the ST list, their land will have constitutional protection under the fifth schedule which will ally the fear of extinction, he continued.
Substantiating its demand, the committee said that Meiteis are recorded as the main tribe of Manipur under the Province of Assam by the Government of British India as per their 1901 census.
At the same, in Bangladesh Meiteis are included in the list of tribes of the country.
The STDC sees the modalities adopted in Assam and Nagaland as viable solution to their demand.
In Assam there are plains tribes and hills tribe while in Nagaland ST is divided into advance tribe and backward tribe with different quotas besides Article 16(4) empowers State for creation of quota within quota.
It mitigated that the ST quota of 33 percent being enjoyed by the STs in Manipur will continue to be protected under the Article 16(4) even after Manipur becomes a tribal state we are demanding our birth right and protection of our land, it held.