Kokrajhar, March 31: The United Tribal Organisation, Assam, and Janajati Suraksha Manch, two tribal organisations in Assam, have jointly decided to move Gauhati High Court on the issue of candidates from non-notified communities like Sarania and Modahi contesting the BTC elections on April 8 from tribal reserved seats.

In a news conference today, United Tribal organisation president Markush Basumatary and adviser of Janajati Suraksha Manch, Janaklal Basumatary, said though Gauhati High Court has, in an interim order, observed that Saranias are not enlisted communities, many candidates from non-notified communities like Sarania, who have obtained ST certificates under the garb of Boro-Kachari or Rabha - that too by using non-tribal surnames like Das, Deka, Sarania, Saikia, Hazarika - were allowed to contest seats reserved for tribals in the BTC elections.

A Gauhati High Court order stated that "prima facie" it appears that Sarania is not an enlisted tribe though the "tribe" certificate has been issued to respondent number-7 (Naba Sarania), according to the list of Scheduled Tribes incorporated in central order number 22.

The tribal leaders stated that no authority can convert the non-Bodo and non-Rabha to Bodo or Rabha communities for the purpose of getting ST certificates. "It violates the Constitutional (Scheduled Tribe) Order, 1950, as amended till date and violates grossly the provision of Article 342 (1)(2) of the Constitution," one of them stated.

The tribal organisations also alleged conspiracy against the indigenous communities by allowing non-notified communities to contest from tribal reserved seats. The tribal leaders accused the officials of working against the tribal communities at the behest of the state government which is "anti-tribal".

The tribal leaders stated that "persons holding caste certificate as Bodo-Kachari or Rabha by Sarania and Modahi communities surnames are not Scheduled Tribes and are not eligible to contest election in ST-reserved constituencies".