HT Correspondent
GOSSAIGAON, Jan 3: The All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) has expressed strong dissatisfaction over Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent remarks on the long-pending issue of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six indigenous communities of Assam and demanded that the State Government clarify its stand within a stipulated timeframe.
Addressing a press conference at the Gossaigaon Press Club, AKRSU president Dipen Ray and general secretary Sunadhar Ray accused the State Government of adopting “deceptive and dilatory tactics” on the sensitive issue. They alleged that the report submitted by the ministerial committee on tribal status on the last day of the winter session of the Assam Legislative Assembly was intended to mislead the people.
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The AKRSU expressed serious apprehension over the report tabled in the Assembly on December 29, particularly the decision to grant one month’s time to an organisation named the Tribal Coordination Committee of Assam, which has reportedly claimed that granting ST status to the six communities would threaten the existence of existing tribal groups. Such a move, the student body alleged, has effectively stalled the entire process of granting tribal status.
Dipen Ray demanded that the State Government make it clear whether the report placed in the Assembly has been forwarded to the Central Government. He strongly criticised the Chief Minister’s statement that no community had demanded tribal status ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections, terming it misleading and contrary to facts.
Stating that the Koch Rajbongshi community has been agitating for decades for ST status, Ray said the organisation remains firm in its demand that tribal status be granted before the next Assembly elections. He alleged that repeated assurances by the BJP and claims that ST status would be granted within a short period have remained unfulfilled due to a lack of political will.
Ray further announced that if the government fails to clarify its stand on the issue by January 7, coinciding with Koch Rajbongshi Martyrs’ Day, the AKRSU will enforce a 12-hour statewide Assam bandh on January 9.
AKRSU general secretary Sunadhar Ray also criticised the ministerial committee’s report, calling it a “mere eyewash”. He alleged that the Koch Rajbongshi community continues to be deprived of ST status due to a lack of sincerity on the part of both the State and Central governments.
He said the community has long been demanding protection of its identity, land and socio-cultural rights and described the Chief Minister’s remarks on the issue as unfortunate, given its sensitivity. Recalling assurances made as early as 2014, he said promises of granting ST status on the grounds of educational, socio-economic and political backwardness have not been fulfilled.
Warning of intensified agitation, Sunadhar Ray said that if the government does not clearly commit to granting ST status to the Koch Rajbongshi community before the 2026 Assembly elections, the organisation would be compelled to launch a statewide campaign against the BJP during the polls.
