Kokrajhar, Feb. 8: Several tribal organisations of Assam today decided to launch an agitation to oppose the government move to grant Scheduled Tribe status to six more communities of the state.

Altogether 25 tribal organisations met at the All Assam Tribal Convention at Chandmari in Guwahati today to draw up an agitation programme against the government’s decision.

President of the All Assam Tribal Sangha, Ranjit Borgoyary, said, “In the first phase of the movement, we have decided to stage a dharna in Dispur on February 28. It will be followed by more vigorous protests in case Dispur decides to go ahead”.

On January 22, the All Assam Tribal Sangha and All Assam Tribal Youth League threatened to launch an agitation if the government went ahead with granting Schedule Tribe status to six new communities like the Ahom, Koch-Rajbonshi, the Tea Tribes, Moran, Motok and Chutiya.

A joint delegation of the Tribal Sangha and Tribal Youth League had also met Union tribal affairs minister P.R. Kyndiah at the Administrative Staff College in Guwahati last month and apprised him about their opposition to the government’s move. They had submitted a memorandum to him. The protesters had also urged different tribal organisations to come forward and join hands to oppose the government move.

“If such a large socio-economically and educationally advanced group of people are included in the Scheduled Tribes (plains) list of Assam, the underprivileged and marginalised tribes would be outnumbered and deprived of all constitutional benefits and safeguards. Granting Scheduled Tribe status to these communities would totally marginalise those already categorised under it and create hurdles in reservation of jobs and admission to higher education. Tai Ahom, Koch Rajbongsi, Moran, Motak and Chutiya are much advanced, compared to the existing Scheduled Tribes in the state,” the organisations claimed.

The tribal organisations claimed that the Tea Tribes are a group of migrants, who were brought here to work in the tea gardens and hence cannot be termed as indigenous tribes of Assam, said a statement signed by secretary general of Tribal Sangha, Aditya Khaklari, Tribal Youth League president Rimal Amsih and secretary general P. Ferenga Brahma.

The tribal organisations said the move was politically motivated to gain mileage at the cost of the indigenous tribes of Assam.

“The inclusion of new communities in the Scheduled Tribes category would affect the demography of the state,” the statement said.