"Any Kuki Tribe" listed in all other NE states

Imphal, June 17: The report in The Imphal Free Press about the selection of four tribes of Manipur in the new list of 43 tribes to be recognized as Scheduled Tribes under the Scheduled Tribe Order, 1950, has met with mixed response from different parties. An organization called the Kuki Tribes Recognition Demand Committee, while welcoming the inclusion of "Any Kuki Tribe" into the four selected for inclusion in the ST list, strongly objected to the list of tribes in the IFP which are reportedly annoyed with their non inclusion in the ST list as independent tribes. A memorandum by the organization submitted to the chief minister, 0 Ibobi Singh, today said most of these tribes were the ones who were actually eagerly awaiting the decision for their inclusion in the list of "Any Kuki Tribe." Exceptions however were evident in the case of the Mate and the Chongthu tribes, who visited the IFP office to confirm they want independent entry into the ST list of the Government of India. The IFP report however never said these tribes objected to being clubbed into "Any Kuki Tribe" and only mentioned they wanted independent listing under their own tribe nomenclatures. The list of the tribes was also obtained from the government file of 1999 December that listed them as having demanded separate ST listing. The IFP's list also included some Naga tribes, including the Thangals who are now called Koirao, the Kabuis who want to be listed as Rongmei and Inpui, Kacha Nagas as Zemeis and Liangmeis, and Khoibu/Uipo who are now clubbed together with Marings. Meanwhile, the Kuki Inpi Thoubal Lhang, welcomed the proposal to re-introduce "Any Kuki Tribe" back in the Scheduled Tribes list, saying it was indeed included in the Scheduled Tribes list before 1956 in Manipur. Other observers also pointed out that "Any Kuki Tribe" as a Scheduled Tribe, exists in other northeastern states of Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura and it is only right that it should be included in Manipur as well. They said there are over 1.5 lakhs populations of small, marginalized Kuki kindred tribes in Manipur, who are deprived of their rights as Scheduled Tribes. However, the Mates and Chongthus complain that even in all these states where "Any Kuki Tribe" is recognized, the names of their tribes are not included. It may be recalled that there are at present 29 recognized Scheduled Tribes in Manipur. Four more, namely, Kharam, Poumai, Tarao and "Any Kuki Tribe", have been short-listed to be included into the list by the Union Cabinet recently. A Bill listing new tribes approved by the Union Cabinet for inclusion in the ST list, will be prepared as the ST list revision Bill and tabled in the Parliament, and only after the Parliament passes it, will the inclusion become final.