Meiteis as Scheduled Tribe, why not ?

Lt Col Laishram Lokendra Singh (Retd) *

Meitei Ethnic doll by Konthoujam Michael Meetei :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

Misconceptions and apprehensions have come to the fore on the idea of Meitei's demand for inclusion in the ST list under the Indian Constitution. Few Meitei pseudo intellectuals have objected to conversion of Meiteis to Scheduled Tribe. Question of conversion does not arise. People can convert to Hinduism, Buddhism or to any religion for that matter, but no body can convert to a tribe or become a tribal out of the blue for this is a birth right.

Put simply you have to be born a tribal to be included in the Scheduled Tribe list. It postulates therefore that Meiteis are tribal by birth and are asking for recognition of this fact and inclusion in the ST list under the Indian Constitution.

Any right thinking Meitei with even a vague knowledge of anthropology, history and geography will refuse to toe the line that Meiteis are of Aryan race, the descendents of Brabubahon – son of Arjuna of Mahabharata epic. That is myth sans reality fabricated by Meitei Bamons of yore perhaps to keep the then less educated simpleton Meitei tribal subservient to their religious diktats. That's history now. In today's knowledge era of the 21st century this myth will be seen for what it is – a myth.

At a point of time in history there is no denying the fact that Meitei kingdom was a power to reckon with in its own right. Much water has flowed under the Maharani bridge (Thong Nambonbi) since then and today under the divide and rule policy of Government of India, people of Manipur are a fragmented society with each ethnic group tearing the social fabric at its seams in an effort to assert their ethnic identity. Resultant reality is that the idea of Ima Leibak(motherland) Manipur has no meaning beyond Sekmai in the north, Yaingangpokpi in the east, Pallel in the south and Keithelmanbi in the west.

Oblivious to such social upheaval a section of Meiteis clinging on to the past live their present considering themselves a superior human being and the Chingmees (hill people) of Manipur an inferior lot. This obnoxious attitude is akin to "frog in the well" syndrome where mindset of the frog is encapsulated within the confines of the well. Times have changed, the world is a much larger place and pitching this 10 lakh odd Meiteis against one billion Indians of mainland India would be an unfair and imbalanced proposition, the requirement hence of a constitutional safeguard to create a level playing field.

Now, coming to the apprehension of Chingmees (hill people), that once Meiteis are included in ST list, they would usurp all the present day reservation quota being enjoyed by them. This apprehension is unfounded. ST quota reservation at national level is 7.5 percent whereas in Manipur it is 33 percent based on the population ratio. State Govt. exercised its Constitutional prerogative in this context in accordance with Article 16 (4) of Indian Constitution which says, "Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services under the State".

ST in Assam is categorised into ST(Plains) and ST(Hills) and have separate reservation quota for each category. Likewise in Nagaland there is quota within quota in the nomenclature of ST(Advanced Tribe) and ST(Backward Tribe). 25 percent quota has been reserved for 6 backward tribes – Chang, Khimniungan, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam and Yimchunger, from Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire and Longleng districts. Further, Chakhesang, Pochury and Zeliangrong tribes have also been given 8 percent backward tribe reservation.

In like manner, in pursuance of Article 16 (4) of Indian Constitution the State can safeguard the reservation quota of present day ST of Manipur. There is no reason why Meiteis should want to hijack a fellow brother's legitimate share of reservation quota in the State.

Land in the hills come under the purview of customary laws and practices of the concerned tribe. Whether it is ancestral or clan land, individual land, village land or for that matter territory of the village chief, customary land laws and practices safeguard the interest of each tribe.

Inclusion of Meiteis in ST list does not in any way dilute the existing customary laws and practices of Chingmees (hill people), which protect their traditional land. There cannot be any confusion on this issue.

The idea of Meitei's demand for inclusion in ST list of Indian Constitution needs to be seen from a different perspective. It is not to usurp the rights and privileges of Chingmees (hill people) of Manipur.

It is a question of moral acceptance of Meiteis of their indigenous roots, that they are of the southern Mongoloid stock and not Aryan (Arjya Bangsha) descendents of mythical Arjuna of Mahabharata epic as has been wrongly inculcated in the minds of and misguided simpleton Meiteis over a period of time which has been a major factor for the creation of social chasm between Meiteis and their brethren in the hills.

In endeavouring to bring about a cohesive and harmonious society in Manipur, the element of feeling of oneness is an unavoidable pre-requisite and this can never be practicable in a fragmented society divided into higher and lower caste socially. Economic classification of "haves" and "have nots" will however continue to be a fact of life and an integral part of a cohesive society whether in China or America or for that matter in Manipur.

The bigger picture is that the geography of Manipur ordains that the so called Chingmees and Tammees (people of the hills and valley) will have to cohabit together, not for today or tomorrow but for eons to come, whether we like it or not. There is therefore the requirement for each one of us to either take a step forward or backward to accommodate each other for a better Manipur.

So, why not Meiteis as Scheduled Tribe ?