Leaders of six communities demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status in Assam on Monday believed to have got an assurance from Congress president Rahul Gandhi that “Congress will take urgent steps to give ST status to the six communities once come to power.”
“The Congress president has told us that his party would definitely work to give Scheduled Tribe (ST) tag to the six communities. Even if his party remains in the opposition, Congress would push the government in this connection,” said Kajal Gohain, a leader of the Matak community.
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Also read: Assam: Union government to grant ST status to 6 communities
A delegation of at least 15 members from six Assam communities including Moran, Motok, Tai Ahom, Adivasi, Rajbonghi and Chutia called on the Congress president Monday morning and hold discussion for more than an hour.
“The Congress president has assured us that they will take move in this direction within six months after the election,” said Arun Moran.
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Significantly, the BJP government did an abortive attempt to bring the ST Bill in the last session of the Parliament.
These six communities have been demanding ST status for the last several years.
But the demand of these six communities to get them included in the ST list has been opposed by the already existing ST communities of the state.
The Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organizations of Assam (CCTOA) last month staged a 12-hour long hunger strike in protest against the move of the state and central government to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six different communities of Assam.
The CCTOA also called for a 12-hour Assam bandh last month against the move to grant ST status to the six communities and demanding withdrawal of the ST Bill.