At this crucial juncture, some among the Meitei populations, who have been taking major role in the nation building process of Manipuri nation since the time immemorial with their courage and determination; have become weak-hearted and started to demand to include Meiteis in the ST list of Indian Constitution. Meitei/Meetei demanding for ST status needs to think it through because it is not a simple demand. It is not only about the Meitei/Meetei, but also a demand that will have a connection to the history of tomorrow. While discussing the matter, we have seen people who disagreed being threatened to inflict fear, portrayed as illiterate, and projected as hateful towards Meitei/Meetei. On top of this, we have also heard a leader of an armed group and other organisations say that striving to restore our nation’s independence is not revolution. The reasons for ST demand seem to change with time. In the beginning, it has mentioned that on the grounds of constitution, Meitei/Meetei lacks development, lives in isolation, and if granted ST status, people could receive employment benefits due to reservation, even to the point of claiming to be able to produce more IAS officers and overpower India. However, looking at the current scenario, Indian government’s employment rate is seeing a decline every year in spite of the reservation facility. The most important element of India’s neo-liberal economy at present is Public Private Partnership (PPP), wherein the government’s employment rate is falling. Therefore, the 7.5% ST reservation is not going to bring about a huge change in the employment of Meitei/Meetei. After considering this, the reasons for ST demand have been changed.
Status of religion before Hinduism
Claims were made of Meitei/Meetei lifestyle having both tribal and primitive elements. There was also a time when they said that they were not demanding for ST status, they just wanted to lie about it. The Meitei/Meetei religion prior to the Hindu conversion, was falsely portrayed as just a religion with no temple and with maichou only at the level of maiba-maibi but not at the king’s level, stating multiple times that the religion belonged to tribal and primitive regions. The philosophy and related festivals of this religion had a respectable status, but the constant fabrication of lies just to avail ST status might create a false impression of the religion. At the same time, they are saying that availing ST status will not bring any change to our religion. Whether it changes or not is a different matter. No thought has not gone in to understand that labeling a phase of our religion as tribal religion is us bringing ourselves down in front of the world. If there is no element of backwardness or underdevelopment in being ST, then why are they provided with reservation as a part of Redistribution Junction? It is just an act of willful ignorance in spite of knowing the reasons behind providing other protective measures. If the attitude remains as ‘let people think whatever they want’, then a question arises if all the efforts to strive forward were in vain.Various rituals of celebrating and offering prayers to Sidaba mapu, Lainingthou Lairembi, Apokpa etc. were unavoidable elements and did not exist as just mere word-of-mouth. A number of Puya on religious matter clearly stated that our religion was not a tribal religion. We need to study the stories and philosophy of seven Maichou’s in order to understand the same. It was also not so that Meitei/Meetei religion suddenly became regional or tribal after Hindu conversion. Hill-Valley Relationship
The hill-valley division to run a state has been going on since the time of British colonialism. Various 20th century leaders have stood against this division, mentioning it time and again in the resolutions of Nikhil Hindu Manipur Mahasava. Government’s attempt to separate the hills from the valley does not help in building a united Manipur. Instead of enabling people to think collectively, it has led to people think either for hills only or for valley only. The division has been going on since the time of merger into Indian Union, when various administrative and judicial bodies meant only for hills were formed. Thus, the hill-valley division continues till date. The current situation is not about Meitei/Meetei not being ST and chingmee becoming ST . Therefore, the claim that the ST demand will bring the Meitei/Meetei and chingmee closer, is a distortion of history. It is nothing but encouraging the colonizers by putting the blames on the self for the differences between the hills and valley.
Meitei/Meetei becoming ST could bring back and intensify the hill-valley division and be the reason behind the idea of Meitei for Meitei and Chingmee for Chingmee. Till now, we are not able to decolonize ourselves.
Writer : Sh.Ajit
9 comments
This writer is stone when he is writing this paper. The ST demand for Meitei is not for reservations. It for identity and protection of Meitei people. And why he share the same view with the UNLF. How ST and ST will defer, it is confusing.
The writer has pointed out some good historical facts that there is not enough evidence or reasons to claim Meitei as ST under Indian Constitution. Moreover, one of the most important points to reject it is that ST status is ideologically not demanded. It’s a relative term if you claim for safeguards, then from whom you want protection. Aren’t you able to safeguard your culture tradition by own. Even though you feel so from whom you want protection, you believe to someone more than yourself..ST is objectively classified concepts taken up during a point of time by using a scale of measurement. So, claim for ST is a useless and stupid idea
The writer seems to live in the past. He talks of past glory only. where are we today. we are so divided that we cannot even agree on meitei and meetei.
We want to go ahead . whether we like it or not we have been forced to live in India as Indians and not the “great manipuri nation “. As long as we are Indians what is wrong in inclusion of protection from the Indian constitution. And it is not tribal we are talking about it is “Schedule tribe”, a status given by the constitution of India.
And in any case if the writer doesnt want to be ST just dont apply for the ST certificate from the authorities. You can freely roam around as unreserved. But you have no right to trample upon others who feel they need ST to develop Manipur.
The writer is blissfully ignorant of how to protect valley land inhabited particularly by Meitei which perhaps is about 4 or 5 pc of total landmass of Manipur under the Indian Constitution. Again he doesn’t know how to prevent another Jiribam from happening in Thangmeiband, Uripok, Sagolband, Wangkhei, Sugnu Assembly Constituencies among others. We cannot prevent outsiders from entering our Panchayats, Zilla Parishads and State Assembly. Even during the parliamentary elections a big chunk of valley Assembly segments goes reserved for ST. Meitei voters there can’t contest election. All foothills surrounding Imphal valley formerly known as traditional ‘Uyokching’ or reserved forest for firewood have today been occupied by outsiders who can’t speak Manipuri. They are patronised by politicians for vote bank. In short the writer may pl read books written by British scholars and administrators posted in Manipur and Northeast like Hodson, Johnstone, Dun, Mackenzie, McCulloch, Shakespeare, Mills, among others. Tribals of Manipur are our brothers and we belong to same group of original inhabitants or Yelhoumee.
In the GOI census records of 1891, 1901, 1911, 1931 etc Meitei are recorded as forest tribe or Hindu tribe. Only in 1950 Gopinath Bordoloi and Sir Nicholas Roy had, after meeting with three Manipuri devout Hindus namely Sinam Krishnamohon, Bankabihari Sharma, and Lalita Madhav Sharma, reported to the Centre that Meitei be included in General and not ST. Since then we’ve living in an unprotected ingkhol, depriving our polity, economy, habitation. Population transfer or demographic invasion can be checked under Article 19(5) of our Constitution.
The writer Shri Ajit may agree with me in particular and others in general that there’s a Constitutional divide between Chingmee and Tamee as ST and General. We are all Yelhoumee of the soil. However, Meitei’s social status as Yelhoumee (original inhabitants) is not recognised by our Constitution till date. In the eyes of the Centre, we look like self-styled Yelhoumee. The Supreme Court of India in its judgement dated 5th Jan 2011 on a SLP no 10367 between Kailash & Others Vs State of Maharashtra stated among others that STs who are comprising 8 pc of the total population of India are descendants of original inhabitants whereas the remaining 92 pc are descendants of immigrants. The respected judges are Shri Markandey Katju and Shri Gyan Sudha Misra. On which side of the fence — either 8 pc or 92 pc — are we OBC Meitei sitting can easily clear our misunderstanding. This Constitutional divide between hills and valley is the genesis of our many problems today. Unless this ‘divide’ is removed by a Constitutional amendment there cannot be unity between Chingmee and Tamee. ILP cannot answer our problems and we should not bark up the wrong tree. Mutual understanding and collective political wisdom before the arrival of NFR train at Tupul and Imphal is one of the possible solutions.
The writer has no connection to the present reality of Manipur. Such fellow should not advertise his own ignorance in public space. Please listen to the speech of L Lokendra Singh in youtube.
For those meitei folks, who opposed meitei ST demand:
I have only one line to brush up your knowledge i.e you have been living in a Fool’s paradise for a very long time.
And those who support Meitei ST demand: Never argue with fools, you can’t change their mind.
Writing is not for u, bro. Writing is like fish climbing a tree for u. Or which dope do you use before writing this article? Is it weed?