The central government directed the Manipur state government to investigate a proposal sent by the National President of the Republican Party of India in Manipur.The proposal has demanded the removal of some cookie and zomi tribes from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.The move is taken after the ethnic conflict of the month between the Maetai people in the valley and the cookie-zo (ST) people in the hill.The struggle began with an order from the Manipur High Court, in which the state government was directed to recommend the central government to include the Mainitis in the Scheduled Tribes list.
The main point of the proposal
- It argued to include Meitei in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list demanding exclusion of some cookie and zomi tribes.
- This objected against the inclusion of three specific entries in Manipur’s Scheduled Tribes list.
- Which includes any Mizo (Lushai) tribe, Zou (Zou) tribes and any Kuki tribe.
- The argument to exclude three tribes is that they are not ‘indigenous’ of Manipur.
- Representation claimed that there is no mention of these tribes living in Manipur in pre -independence census.
- It also said that the ambiguity of ‘any Mizo (Lushai) tribe’ and ‘any cookie tribe’ in the ST list has assisted the illegal immigrants of Myanmar and Bangladesh in getting benefits for ST in India.
Importance of proposal
- This is the first time that members of the Maetai community have tried to argue by arguing to include themselves in the ST list that some cookie and zomi tribes are not worth joining the list.
- The move could also affect the criteria used to define groups as ST, which were introduced by the Lokur Commission in 1965.
Historical recommendations
First Backward Classes Commission (1955)
- In Assam and Manipur, the names of individual tribes were recommended instead of Chhatra tribes for tribes.
- Due to the old information, it was suggested to rebuild the Scheduled Tribes lists.
Lokur Commission (1965)
- Focused on a ‘divided trend’ among the cookie tribes and recommended to mention the names of the tribe to address inter-tribal differences.
- It recommended the tribes to classify as a large group with sub-tribes including synonyms.
Bhuria Commission Report (2002-2004)
- This commission saw the discrepancy regarding the entry of ‘any cookie tribe’ in the Scheduled Tribes list.
- It was recommended to mention the names of the tribe to resolve inter-tribal differences.
Cookie-zomi tribes
- The Cookie-Zomi tribes reside in the northeastern Indian states of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, which extend to neighboring Myanmar and Bangladesh.
- The cookie-chin language, belonging to the family, shares linguistic and cultural similarities with the Cookie-Zomi tribes of Myanmar and the Mizoram people of Mizoram.
- The term ‘cookie’ has been used historically to include a broad group.
- ‘Zomi’ has emerged as a favorite word by some sub-tribes seeking a distinct identity.
Scheduled Tribes (ST)
- Article 366 (25) – The Constitution of India determines that the Scheduled Tribes mean tribes or tribal communities that are considered as Scheduled Tribes under Article 342 of the Constitution.
- Article 342 (1) – The President can specify the groups or groups or groups within tribals or tribal communities or tribes by public notification after consulting the Governor in relation to any state or union territory.
- Article 342 (2)- Parliament can include or exclude the list of scheduled tribes by law.