'Remove Kuki Tribes From ST List', Meitei and Thadou Organisations Urge Tribal Ministry | Outlook India

Two Manipur-based organisations have urged the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to delete the 'Any Kuki Tribes' category from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list in the state as it allegedly allows "foreigners to claim rights" of the indigenous people and "poses a threat to their land and resources".

In a memorandum to the ministry, the two organisations - Thadou Inpi manipur and Meitei Alliance - stated that "the appeal aligns with the official position of the Government of Manipur, which, following cabinet decisions on October 19, 2018 and January 2, 2023, formally recommended the deletion of 'Any Kuki Tribes' category.

"The vague nature of 'Any Kuki tribes' (AKT) allows foreigners to claim tribal rights in Manipur. This poses a serious threat to land, resources, and constitutional privileges of pre-existing scheduled tribes," the two organisations claimed in the memorandum.

They also alleged, "AKT has no unique language, separate cultural heritage, and geographical isolation, all of which are the basic criteria for Scheduled Tribe recognition under Article 342 of the Constitution of India. It fails every benchmark and only serves to sow ethnic discord and legal confusion." The two organisations also claimed that the category 'Any Kuki tribes' was inserted into the Scheduled Tribes list of Manipur in 2003 through "politically motivated and non-transparent means".

"Unlike any of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur that are linguistically and culturally distinct, AKT is an ambiguous and arbitrary insertion without a legitimate basis. AKT is not accepted or recognised by any of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur...instead, its existence has only exacerbated ethnic tension and undermined social harmony," the memorandum said.