The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee (STDC), Manipur, lauded Rajya Sabha MP from Manipur, Sanajaoba Leishemba, for raising the demand for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the scheduled tribe (ST) list of the Indian constitution in the parliament.
The Rajya Sabha MP raised the matter on April 6 in the ongoing parliament session.
He tabled the matter to include the Meetei/Meitei in the scheduled tribe list of India under Article 342(1) of the Constitution as a special mention in the Parliament.
While raising the matter in the Rajya Sabha, Sanajaoba Leishemba said that the community has been pressing the central government to include it in the ST list since 2013 by submitting many representations to the Prime Minister, union home minister, union minister of tribal affairs and others.
However, no concrete response was received from the union and state governments till date.
He stressed the need for a constitutional safeguard of the Meetei/Meitei community by giving the scheduled tribe status.
According to Sanajaoba, a delay in granting the status will reduce the Meetei/Meitei to a minority as the community is vulnerable to becoming refugees in their own ancestral land.
Meanwhile, while lauding the MP for raising the matter, STDC Manipur reiterated its demand to take up necessary steps for recommending the Centre for inclusion of the community in the ST list at the earliest.
The Meetei/Meitei community needs the ST status for constitutional safeguard, it added.
