ST demand committee calls 24-hr general strike on Jan 21

Imphal, January 14, 2019:

The Schedule Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur (STDCM) on Sunday announced a 24 hour general strike from the midnight of January 21 if the State Government fails to send a recommendation for enlisting Meitei/Meetei community under ST list of India by January 18, 2019.

STDCM chairman Yumnam Muhindro, working president Naodinglenkhomba and STDC, Assam secretary Wahengbam Sharatchandra attended the function as presidium members.

Apart from strongly condemning the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, 2018 in their resolutions, the public meeting also resolved to put on halt the construction works of the Imphal-Tupul railway project, which the committee had threatened earlier in protest against the government’s lack of concerns to their demands but was subsequently called off after an assurance from the Chief Minister on satisfying the demand put forth by the ST demand committee.

The meeting further resolved to refrain from giving votes in favour of any political parties which does not endorse the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei community in the ST list of India in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and other future elections.

Many people who have spoken during the public meeting decried the delay on the part of the State Government in forwarding a recommendation for enlisting Meetei/Meitei in the ST list of India, for which a memorandum was submitted months back to the State Government.

The STDCM has held several rounds of talks with the State Government, with participation of Chief Minister, PWD Minister and Education Minister, in the past apart from submitting memorandums and reminder notes to the government.

The speakers of STDCM also conveyed that during the UPA Government tenure, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has even sought the state’s recommendation for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei community in the ST list of India.  The State Government was even asked to take up further needful tasks (for the inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list of India).

The STDCM speakers suggested that the committee and public should no longer trust to the assurance of the State Government, but should rather carry out intensified form of agitations until the demands of STDCM get fulfilled.