Dibrugarh: Members of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) staged a two-hour protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Dibrugarh on Monday, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the tea garden community of the state.
The protesters raised slogans against the BJP-led government and accused it of not fulfilling its promise of granting ST status to the tea community.
They also threatened to launch a massive agitation across the state if the government fails to confer ST status to them as promised.
Granting of ST status to six ethnic groups of Assam, including Adivasis, Mottock, Tai Ahom, Koch Rajbongshi, Sootea, and Moran, was a poll promise of the BJP during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2016 Assam Assembly election.
However, the BJP has maintained silence regarding the ST status during the course of its election campaign for the 2021 Assam assembly polls.
“The Adivasi community in Assam has been fighting for ST status for the last 76 years. The community fulfills all the criteria required for granting ST status. It was also a poll promise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha election campaign in Assam.
“The BJP has been winning multiple elections with the promise of granting ST status. Many years have passed but still, there is no clarity on the issue. Neither the Centre nor the Assam government is serious in the matter,” ATTSA Dibrugarh district president Bimal Bagh said.
At the end of Monday’s protest, the ATTSA members sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Deputy Commissioner seeking ST status for the tea community.
The protest was supported by other organizations, including the All Assam Tea Tribes’ Union (ATTU) and the All Assam Tea Workers’ Union (ATTWU).
The ATTSA has called for a statewide shutdown on July 15 to press their demands.