Top Tweets for #STForMeiteis

Takeaway from MUTUM YOIREMBA's talk on the Twitter space yesterday: 1. Whereas there is a fear among the Meiteis that the civilizational heritage of our 3000+ years would be done away with, by scheduling the Meiteis in ST, it only operates at the perception level that we would somehow be downgraded in the hierarchy of social perception. On the contrary, the civilizational heritage remains materially intact in the Kangla, the Puya, the Palace, the Language, the Festivals, etc. Therefore, the fear of perception is only a hindrance so long as we are only confined to the falsely interanalised worldview that Meiteis enjoys a social position better than other cognate groups, when perception comes to play outside of the state and in centres of political, cultural and economic power like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. 2. A Schedule tribe does not necessarily mean a "tribe". As clear from the people who defined constitutional categories of what a tribe is, like S.C. Dube. And that advanced groups, and Hinduness does not take away scheduling in the ST list. 2017 notification on revision of criteria for ST by NCST asserts clearly about the category of new entrants in ST list and that outdated categorical distinction like "primitive traits" or "geographical isolation" does not apply anymore and hence Meiteis should be in all accounts treated as ST by looking into the constitutional criteria and not solely on the anthropological criteria of what a " tribe" is. 3. The divine dichotomy that runs politics is that of the friend vs enemy concept. All political demands therefore lay with either the distinction of an "enemy" or a "friend" category or the embedded potential of that distinction, which is the driving force of political demands. Whereas, Meitei's demand for ST is rather a demand of social empowerment and the failure to address it as a social empowerment demand is indeed the falling into the fallacy that ST demand is a part of the many complicacy fueling the current political turmoil, hence falling into the narrative trap that Meiteis are solely responsible for the turmoil. Whereas, there is no political demand currently from the Meiteis in tandum with other opposing political demands that define Meiteis as the "enemy". 4. Although the responses filled in the survey of Kalelkar Commission Report 1953 has been used by many opponents of the Scheduling Meiteis in the ST list. It must be noted that, not filling up survey forms appropriately 71 years ago when literacy rate was 12.6% in the state is not a justified reason for having denied ST status in the past. Constitutional mechanisms are in place to ensure inclusion and reinclusion. 5. Whereas, political will is an absolute must for public policy to come to pass, ST demand could be substantiated by having a pilot research on Meiteis in an area through appropriate methods of research and under established sociologists, economists and anthropologists that are figures of authority in India with regards to ST. The content of which will provide the basis of the demand tabled in the state cabinet/assembly and also grounds for the state government to have a full proof reason to the centre as to why the demand should be entertained. The onus of the pilot research hence lay with Meiteis demanding ST, whereas the larger study later through TRI or other institutions of reputation may lay with the government.