An umbrella organisation representing 26 tribal bodies of Assam on Monday staged a massive rally near Guwahati opposing the inclusion of any new community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.
Thousands of members from 14 existing Scheduled Tribes across the state gathered at the Sonapur Mini Stadium for the protest organised by the Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA), formed in 1996.
Many participants, dressed in traditional attire and carrying community flags, accused the government of pursuing a “politically motivated” move ahead of the Assembly polls next year.
The protest came amid a series of rallies since mid-September by the six communities — Moran, Muttock, Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Chutia and Adivasi (tea tribes) — seeking ST status. Their campaign draws from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 pre-election promise to grant the status within 100 days of forming the government, a commitment still unfulfilled, as their leaders often point out.
On Sunday, the Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad (TYPA) held a massive rally in Biswanath district pressing the same demand. The Ahoms and tea tribes are electorally influential, adding to the political sensitivity of the issue.
CCTOA chief coordinator and Assam Tribal Sangha general secretary Aditya Khaklari said the government should stop any further expansion of the ST list after 78 years of Independence. “If new communities are included, the 14 existing STs will be the losers. There will be no distinction between old and new STs,” he told The Telegraph.
Khaklari cited past examples to justify the opposition. “When the Centre extended ST status to Koch-Rajbongshis for six months through an ordinance in 1996, most reserved jobs and seats went to them,” he said. “After this year’s panchayat polls, a Tai Ahom group even objected to a Mising woman being appointed Zila Parishad president in Sivasagar.”
“Imagine what will happen if all six are added. We will lose our rights,” Khaklari said, warning that the ongoing agitation was to protect the “future and identity” of existing tribal groups.
Following delimitation, the number of Assembly seats reserved for STs in Assam has increased from 16 to 19. The 14 existing ST groups include the Bodo, Dimasa, Karbi, Rabha, Mising, Sonowal Kachari and Thengal Kachari communities.
