STDC initiates poster campaign for inclusion of Meiteis/Meeteis in ST list

Imphal, January 18, 2019:

A poster campaign has been initiated Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee (STDC) as a part of its first line of non-violent activity to pressurize the state government for the inclusion of Meiteis/Meeteis in the Scheduled Tribe list to the Central government.

The committee demanded the government to take a concrete stand on recommendation of Meiteis/Meeteis as a qualified community for inclusion into the ST list on or before January 18, 2019 otherwise apart from banning construction works of Imphal-Tupul Railway project, the committee has announced to launch general strike on January 22 next.

Reportedly, Meiteis/Meeteis remains the only indigenous community left in the entire North East region to be discarded.

According to the committee members, like all other indigenous people of the Northeast who have been given Constitutional safeguard, the Meiteis/Meeteis should also be given similar protection. They stated that Meiteis/Meeteis community fulfils all the criteria for inclusion in the ST list and the only process left is for the state government to recommend the Centre for the same.

The general secretary of the committee alleged that the government does not want to protect the Meitei/Meeitei community. With the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, there arise urgency for the inclusion of the community in the ST list, more desperate than how it was before.