Guwahati, March 11: Six organisations representing the Moran community in Assam today warned of taking an anti-Congress and anti-BJP stand in next year's Assembly elections if their long-standing demand to accord Scheduled Tribe (ST) status was not met within this year.

Representatives of the six organisations, including All Moran Students' Union (AMSU), today staged a dharna in front of the state Assembly here in Dispur shouting slogans that governments, both at the Centre and the state were not sincere in their effort to accord them ST status and help the community protect their identity, language and culture.

"We have our own distinct language and culture but the government journal - People of India, which the Registrar General of India refers to before considering ST status to a community - said Morans spoke Hindi and English. This proves the government's insincerity in accepting our own language, culture and accord us ST status," the president of the union, Arunjyoti Moran, told The Telegraph today.

"We have been agitating for years seeking the ST status and today we want a practical step from the government both at the Centre and in the state within this year or we will take an opposite stand against both the Congress and BJP in next year's Assembly poll," he added.

He said there are about four lakh Moran populations in at least six Assam districts - Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur. There are some Moran people in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh too, he said.

Six ethnic communities in Assam - Tai Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi, Moran, Muttock, Chutia and tea tribe, have been struggling for several years to press the Centre to grant them ST status.

According to them, the ST status would help them to protect their indigenous identity as well as the various economic and academic advantages.

But one of the reasons cited by the Centre while rejecting proposals for the same was that these communities did not "fulfil certain criteria" which included indications of distinctive culture, ethnic traits, geographical isolation and other factors.

"Last time when we met the Registrar General of India officials in October last year regarding our demand, they referred to the People of India report which is factually incorrect. We suspect there is a conspiracy against our community in grating ST status," he said.

The organisations of the six communities intensify their agitation ahead of every election seeking ST status. They today submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Tarun Gogoi reiterating their demand.