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Guwahati, Jan. 21: The All Adivasi Students Association of Assam (AASAA) today decided to launch a yearlong movement from next month to secure the rights of the community, including demand for ST status and a better deal for tea garden workers.
Talking to The Telegraph from Doomni in Baksa district, the venue of the ongoing Adivasi Mahasabha, the association’s president, Raphael Kujur, said they were also planning to move the United Nations in this regard as the government’s approach towards their community was still more or less colonial in nature.
“The government woos the tea community during elections but looks the other way when it comes to meeting its genuine demands. But we Adivasis are one on our demands,” Kujur said, adding the movement would include mass gatherings, dharnas and road blockades from the block to state level.
Kujur reasoned that if the government could spend Rs 130 a day per person under the NREGA scheme, which hardly gave “any returns”, why were a tea labourer’s productive efforts rewarded with a meagre Rs 71? “Moreover, a tea garden worker goes to work at 7.30am, while others go between 9 and 10am. Is it justified? If the government does not come up with concrete steps before the budget session, we will intensify our protests, including dharnas in Delhi,” Kujur said.
There are around 70 lakh Adivasis/tea community members who play a decisive role in the state’s politics.
Around 20 Adivasi groups are participating in the Mahasabha, which is being organised by the AASAA. Among the five Adivasi rebel groups laying down arms on January 24 at the Sarusajai Stadium in presence of Union home minister P. Chidambaram and chief minister Tarun Gogoi, only the Birsa Commando Force’s top brass participated in the event.
During the Mahasabha, which will conclude tomorrow, it has been decided that 10 committees would be formed to look into the problems plaguing the community and to work on solving these.
“The committees will look after 10 different issues, including education, health, socio-economic conditions, langu-age, culture and sports status, among others. A framework has been created to bring the community on the development path by 2020 as part of the Assam Adivasi Vision 2020, which will publicly declared tomorrow. Laxmi Orang, who was stripped during the 2008 Adivasi rally in Guwahati, will lead a procession,” Kujur said.
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