IMPHAL, December 15: The Schedule Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) staged a public sit in protest cum discussion demanding inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the list of Schedule Tribes of the Indian Constitution at Keishampat Lairembi Community Hall, Imphal today.
Several speakers reiterated on various aspects of the demand to be included in the Schedule Tribe.
The demonstrators later marched towards the Chief Minister’s bungalow.
However, only six representatives were allowed to meet the Chief Minister to submit their memorandum including 21 points signed by Prof Y Mohendra Singh, president STDCM and general secretary STDCM, Lt Col (retd) L Lokendra Singh.
According to the general secretary, “We had an hour long minute discussion with the Chief Minister along with the other MLAs.”
The Chief Minister gave us a very patient hearing and we are hopeful that we have been able to impress the issue on him.” “This is his first instance of agreeing to meet us in three years and we are positive that the meeting has clarified all his doubts on the subject,” he said.
The general secretary also insisted that this demand would not alter the existing benefits of the hill tribes of Manipur and can be simulated on the quota within quota model.
It might be mention that the STDCM has been submitting memorandums on this regard to the Governor of Manipur and the Chief Minister since 2011.
At the centre the PMO had forwarded the memorandum to the Home Ministry and further to the Tribal Ministry. Following this the Ministry of Tribal Affairs had sought the response of the Government of Manipur in 2013 to forward specific recommendations along with ethnography and socioeconomic survey reports of the Meiteis for consideration of the demand.