The Assam Tea Tribes Student’s Association (ATTSA) has submitted a memorandum to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterating its demand for grant of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the tea tribe community in the state.
The ATTSA leaders handed over the memorandum to Dibrugarh Deputy Comissioner Pallav Gopal Jha.
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“We have been demanding ST status for Tea tribes’ community since a long time. The BJP government has used the ST issue to gain political mileage. During election time, they used the ST issue to garner votes,” said Lakhindra Kurmi, secretary of Dibrugarh ATTSA.
The tea tribe community in Assam constitutes around 20 per cent (70 lakh) of the state’s population.
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The tea community has always played a crucial role in sealing electoral outcomes, both in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, the students’ body clearly stated that if their demand is not fulfilled within a stipulated time frame, they would intensify their movement.
“The government has cheated us for a long time by not providing ST status to our community. The government has been showing a step motherly attitude towards our community,” said Bimal Bag, president of Dibrugarh ATTSA.