UNC questions ST demand status for Meiteis IMPHAL, 17 (NNN): The demand to grant the Meiteis Scheduled Tribe (ST) status has kicked up ruckus in Manipur. On Wednesday, United Naga Council (UNC) and All Tribal Students Union, Manipur (ATSUM) said they seriously viewed the development. The UNC held an emergency meeting and said that it seriously viewed the move of Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) for granting the ST status to Meiteis while ATSUM is convening a panel discussion on July 27 to discuss the issue. "UNC views this development as an attempt to infringe upon the rights and existence of the tribals in Manipur and to distort their history," the Naga body accused, while adding, "We find it surprising that dominant community, i.e. the Meiteis demanding a status that have been treated as untouchable and inferior for decades," the Naga body said. The Naga body then questions the wisdom and statesmanship of the Prime Minister of India for reportedly having given assurance to consider the demand upon obtaining a Cabinet approval. "It may be recalled that the Prime Minister himself had admitted that there has been sharp social divide between the hills and the valley, fully knowing that the Meiteis and tribals are different," UNC pointed out. Meanwhile, ATSUM information secretary Micah Kamei said, "With the STDCM demand for ST status to Meiteis gaining momentum and the news that appeared in all the print media about a six member delegation of STDCM going to Delhi on July 2 and the immediate response to the demand by the Prime Minister under certain conditions, All Tribal Students Union, Manipur (ATSUM) will be organizing a panel discussion with scholars, intellectuals, lawyers and social activists on July 27 somewhere in Imphal." "As the dubious nature of the STDCM has already been circulated in the print media by the All India Tribal Students’ Association, AITSA, the tribal based Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) is skeptical of the intention of the STDCM if it is genuinely for re-defining the historicity of the Meeteis or to avail the opportunity of reservation in jobs," ATSUM information secretary Micah Kamei stated. "Hill state or tribal state sounds synonymous although there may be variation of meaning when interpreted in technical terms. To this end, the brethren of the valley need to meticulously re-think before the issue turns volatile," Micah cautions. On the other hand, while announcing its opposition to the demand for ST status to Meiteis, Southern Nagas International Forum (SoNIF) has categorically stated that the case has no merit at all to be worth a serious consideration.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 04:19:14 +0000
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