IMPHAL, 2 May: Naga and Kuki tribes in Manipur are planning a “tribal solidarity march” in all hill district headquarters of the state, opposing a demand to include the majority Meitei community into the scheduled tribe (ST) list of the Indian Constitution.
The rally, organised by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM), is being supported by different tribal bodies, including the Naga Students Union Chandel, the Sadar Hills Tribal Union on Land and Forests, the Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong, and the Tribal Churches Leaders Forum.
The ATSUM in a statement said that the rally was organised to express protest “the persistent demand of Meitei community for inclusion in ST category and the support to this by valley legislators” and “the need for taking appropriate measures to collectively protect the tribal interests.”
The ATSUM’s decision comes days after an order by a single-judge bench of the high court of Manipur, comprising acting Chief Justice MV Muralidharan, which directed the state government to consider the request of the Meitei community within four weeks.
The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur, which has been spearheading the movement for inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST category, maintained that “it is not about reservation in jobs, educational institutions and tax relief and is more about protecting the ancestral lands, culture and identity of the Meitei people threatened consistently by illegal immigrants from Myanmar and outside the state.”
The Meitei community accounts for around 53 percent of the state’s total population, but are confined to less than 10 percent of the state’s territory.
The tribals inhabiting the hill areas, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the states’ territory, are mostly Christians by faith and accounts for more than 40 percent of the population. (PTI)
