BJP deliberately delaying ST status for 6 communities: Debabrata Saikia

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA), Debabrata Saikia, on Friday strongly criticised the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Assam, accusing them of deliberately delaying the long-pending issue of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities in the state for political reasons.

Reacting to the Chief Minister’s recent remarks on tribal status and the situation in Karbi Anglong, Saikia said the matter was raised during the concluding proceedings of the latest Assembly session. However, despite the Group of Ministers submitting its report on November 29, the opposition was not given any opportunity to place its views on record.

Terming the Chief Minister’s statement that no political party or organisation wants ST status ahead of elections as “misleading”, Saikia alleged that the BJP has a “hidden history” on the issue. He accused the ruling party of intentionally prolonging the process in the name of consultations, leading to widespread frustration among the six communities and amounting to a violation of constitutional provisions.

Saikia dismissed the government’s claim that further studies are required, calling it a “blatant lie.” He said ethnographic and other necessary studies had already been completed long ago by the Assam government. Questioning selective arguments, he pointed out that no comprehensive survey was conducted when several communities were granted ST status in 1950.

Tracing the history of the demand, Saikia said the Congress first initiated the process in 1996 by sending a proposal to the Centre for inclusion of the Koch Rajbongshi community under the ST category. He added that a Parliamentary Select Committee constituted that year had recommended ST status for six communities. The Congress government, he said, adopted a formal proposal in 2005, and in 2014 an all-party delegation from Assam approached the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister on the issue.

Saikia also recalled that the BJP’s 2014 Vision Document promised ST status for the six communities within six months, a commitment that remains unfulfilled even after a decade. He alleged that ministerial committees formed since 2016 ignored the recommendations of the Amar Ray Pradhan Committee and that bills introduced in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in 2019 were not pursued sincerely.

On Karbi Anglong, Saikia accused the Assam government of contempt of court and violation of Sixth Schedule provisions, alleging selective eviction drives and allocation of land to corporate houses. He further questioned why a statue of freedom fighter Chukapha has not yet been installed in the Assam Secretariat.

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