Guwahati, Dec. 29: All the 19 Scheduled Tribe organisations of Assam today unanimously decided to oppose the Centre's move to include at least six new communities of the state as STs.

The ST communities, under the banner of Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisations of Assam, held a meeting here today to discuss the Centre's latest move to enlist Moran, Muttock, Tai Ahom, Chutia, Koch Rajbongshi and tea tribes as STs.

"The six communities proposed by the state to the Centre for Scheduled Tribe status do not fulfil the basic criteria set by the government to be a Scheduled Tribe and yet they are being granted ST status. This will affect the weaker and backward Scheduled Tribes of the state," Aditya Khakhlari, chief coordinator of the committee and general secretary of the All Assam Tribal Sangha, told reporters here today.

Recently, Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju had said the proposals for granting ST status to six Other Backward Classes (OBC) are in the Prime Minister's office and they will be granted ST tag before 2016 Assembly elections.

Article 342 of the Constitution of India, 1949, that defines Scheduled Tribes has set five criteria. These are indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large and backwardness.

"The Koch Rajbongshis, Tai-Ahoms, Chutias and Motoks have already assimilated themselves in the mainstream Assamese society and all of them use common Assamese surnames. All of them speak Assamese as their mother tongue. Tai Ahoms are an advanced ethnic group that ruled Assam for 600 years and Chutias had their kingdom prior to the advent of Tai-Ahoms. Morans and Muttocks are almost same and they are followers of Muamoria Xatra, a Vaishnavite sect. They do not fulfil the basic criteria of ST," Khakhlari said.

"The only similarity among these six communities is that they are economically backward and hence, quite rightfully, they belong to the OBC," he said.

Earlier, the proposal to grant ST status to these six communities were forwarded by the state but the plea was rejected by Parliament eight times.

"According to our information, the Centre is ready to overlook two criteria - shyness of contact with the community at large and geographic isolation - while granting ST status to these six communities," Khakhlari said.

"The Centre is recognising these communities as STs to serve their political purposes. Koch Rajbongshis and tea tribes are large heterogeneous groups. There are almost 50 lakh people from tea tribe communities and the Centre is eyeing them as vote banks," Khakhlari said.