ST Issue Made Political Football: Koch-Rajbongshi Jatiya Mahasabha

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Koch-Rajbongshi Jatiya Mahasabha (KRJM) has said that the issue of according ST status to the six ethnic groups of Assam has been made a political football.

In a statement issued to the press on Saturday, KRJM general secretary Biswajit Rai said: “As and when elections are around, the issue of according ST status to the six groups come up for discussion with various organizations. The BJP governments at the Centre and in the State did assure the six communities of according them ST status. However, after the election, both the governments have been maintaining a stoic silence on the issue. They brought ST Bill in haste in the Rajya Sabha before the last Lok Sabha poll but left it without any discussion in the House. Now with the BTC and Assam Assembly elections coming closer, the issue is slowly being raised. The government will keep assuring the people on the issue but won’t do anything on it just to appease BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary. The ST issue has been pushed aside through the creation of a group of ministers just to appease Hagrama Mohilary. The GoM has not yet submitted its report even after six months of its creation. The GoM is to submit its report to the Centre, and it will be sent to the RGI for approval but not before getting approval from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The RGI will send the report to the National Commission for ST that will send it back to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.”

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