Agitators still show lung-power at Dispur Last Gate

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Sept 6: The lung-power of agitators in Assam refused to feel tired as the members of three organizations were seen shouting slogans in full throttle on the third day of the September Session of the Assam Assembly on Wednesday. The members of an organization had their heads tonsured while staging their protest.

The organizations that demonstrated at Dispur Last Gate on Wednesday were the All Assam Sanskrit Unyan Parishad (AASUP), the Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (ATTSA) and as many as four Sarania Kachari organizations.

AASUP, whose members had their heads tonsured, said: “This government at Dispur, on various pretexts, hasn’t been provincializing the posts of teachers in various non-provincialized schools in the State, thereby sending them towards an uncertain future. The likewise, Dispur and the State Education Minister have not been sincere on the issue of provincialization of non-provincialized Sanskrit tols in the State. We’ve gone for this agitation in support of our demand for the provincialization of all Sanskrit tols in the State.”

The members of the four Sarania Kachari organizations – the All Assam Sarania Kachari Students’ Organization, Sarania Kachari Sanmilani, Sarania Kachari Sanmilito Daabi Samiti and the Sarania Kachari Gatantrik ri Mancha – were attired in their traditiol dresses. They registered their protest in their traditiol best – through songs and dance. Their main demand was conversion of the Sarania Kachari Development Council (SKDC) into an autonomous council and the release of their funds same as that of an autonomous council till their demand is met. “Before independence of the country we were enjoying all facilities and reservations that are entitled for an ST community. However, from 2014 Sarania Kacharis have been deprived of ST certificates. This has proved beyond doubt that we’re victims of a political conspiracy. Most of the Sarania Kacharis live in the BTAD. The devolution of the BTAD constituencies was done by taking the Sarania Kacharis’ habitation into account. The villages domited by Sarania Kacharis were identified as reserved areas under ST sub-plan schemes. However, we’ve now been deprived of various development schemes. A number of indigenous communities have been given autonomous councils, but not us,” said leaders of the Sarania Kachari organizations.

ATTSA general secretary Pawan Bediya said: “Our demands are ST status to the Tea Tribes, hike in daily wage up to Rs 300, including that of Sunday, the formation of a separate council or committee by the government for the issuance of certificates to people belonging to tea tribes, tough action against students getting admissions into medical colleges with fake tea tribe certificates and inquiry into such matters, giving at least a bigha of land to landless Tea Tribes and patta to people without having them, rehabilitation and compensation to families affected by erosion and annual release of Rs 12 crore for the revival of ATC gardens in the State.”