The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) recently announced that they are taking their campaign demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitei community across India.
It is unfortunate that various organisations spearheading the demand for ST status for Meiteis continue to ignore the Manipur High Court Orders dated 27.03.2023, read with the modified order dated 21.02.2024, which they themselves had sought of their own volition.
The court, in its Order, referred to a letter from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, stating that “The first respondent is directed to submit the recommendation in reply to the letter dated 29.5.2013 of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.”
The first respondent is the “state government,” and the Government of India had asked for specific recommendations along with the “latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic study.” The state government, STDCM (Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur), MMTU, and WMC (World Meitei Council) are all ignoring the court’s advice to send the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic study, which entails carrying out a “new/fresh” socio-economic survey and ethnographic study.
The criteria for inclusion in the ST list are clearly laid out by the Lokur Committee: indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness.
The criteria definitely do not include popularity of demand (missed calls), scarcity of land, demand by various Meitei student/social bodies, or support from well-wishers across the country.
The Meiteis are the dominant community, comprising 53% of Manipur’s population and holding 40 of 60 seats in the state assembly. They dominate the state government, police force, and the departments of engineering, health, education, and judiciary in Manipur, thus controlling the state government.
They are more prosperous, influential, and powerful compared to the combined minority communities in Manipur. A certain section of the Meitei community is already on the Scheduled Caste (SC) list, and the majority of the community is in the OBC list. They have everything they need, and now they are eyeing tribal land in the “Hill Areas,” aiming to grab it through the ST route.
Any move by the state government to send a proposal to the central government based on outdated socio-economic survey and ethnographic study reports risks being misinterpreted by the tribal people and could trigger a wider conflict, just as the Manipur High Court Order dated 27.03.2023 triggered the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei community and Kuki-Chin tribes.
The only difference is that this time, it may become a tribal versus non-tribal (Meitei) conflict.
Each time the MMTU, STDCM, and WMC make their pitch, it becomes clearer that the sole purpose of the ST demand is to seize tribal lands from the tribes in the “Hill Areas” of Manipur, which are protected by the Constitution.
They know that they can possess these lands if they themselves become ST. They also appear to be aiming to deny the current STs (tribals) of Manipur their rightful share of reserved government jobs and seats in higher education. Of all the communities in Manipur, only the Meitei community asserts that the “integrity of Manipur cannot be disturbed.” However, the tribal communities are unhappy with the way the state’s affairs are managed, as they believe it is detrimental to the interests of the tribal people and the “Hill Areas.”
Many do not want to remain part of Manipur. Ironically, the Meiteis’ demand for ST status strengthens the feeling among the tribes that their interests and those of the “Hill Areas” lie outside of Manipur. This realisation of the Meiteis’ hegemonic attitude, aimed at suppressing and subjugating the tribes, is slowly tearing the state apart.
This nationwide campaign for ST status for the Meitei community is absurd, as it has no relevance to the Lokur Committee’s criteria. Some are beginning to wonder whether the nationwide campaign is a “Bharat Darshan” for the organisers at the expense of rural donors, who are being misled and fooled.
The only thing those demanding ST status need to do is pressurise the state government to carry out a transparent socio-economic survey and ethnographic study through a credible independent third party.
The stark reality of the socio-economic situation of the Meitei community is such that it will expose their advancements in all spheres of life—social, economic, cultural, and political—and the likelihood of the survey showing the Meitei community as backward is nil. Is this why the organisers are afraid to call for a new survey and study?
They should know that keeping the pot boiling only heightens the prevailing tension, which is not good for the integrity of the state.
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