IMPHAL, Nov 8 (NNN): Manipur Works minister, Govindas Konthoujam recently expressed his support to the demand of the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM).
He said that Scheduled Tribe status demand for the Meetei/Meitei community is reasonable and all need to support it. He was responding to the memorandum of the STDCM.
Members of the STDCM along with members of other civil society organisations supporting the demand are meeting with ministers and MLAs of Manipur as a part of its campaign for inclusion of Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list of Indian Constitution.
Recently, they thronged the residence of the Works minister and submitted a memorandum.
During a talk with the STDCM members, the minister expressed his support to the demand saying that the community needs constitutional protection and everybody irrespective of political affiliation should support the demand.
The inclusion of Meetei/Meitei community in the ST list will not inflict the interest of the hill people, he said. It will rather strengthen the unity among the different ethnic communities living in the State, he opined.
He hoped that the State Government would surely agree to the demand as it is reasonable.
After a series of sit-in-demonstration, the STDCM recently changed its course of campaign. They are visiting the ministers and MLAs and convincing them by way of submitting memorandum to their demand.
