All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) organizes intellectual meet on ST status issue

OUR CORRESPONDENT

KOKRAJHAR: The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) on Sunday organized an intellectual meeting involving 25 Bodo organizations at Bodoland University to discuss the recent development on granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities of Assam. The meeting was convened in the wake of the Assam Legislative Assembly passing the ST Bill, which has now been forwarded to the Central Government for further discussion in Parliament.

Opinions on ST status to six populous communities was taken from the leaders of 25 Bodo organizations in which the leaders vehemently opposed the move of the State Government to grant ST status to more communities and determined to stand together against what they called an anti-tribal agenda. The meeting also rejected the recommendation of the Government of Assam based on reports of GoM.

Speaking to mediapersons, ABSU President Dipen Boro said that the meeting focused on the implications of granting ST status to the six communities and its possible impact on the existing tribal communities of Assam. He said that if the six populous communities were included in ST list then the existing indigenous tribal people would lose their legitimate rights and facilities, be it education, job, land, and political rights and socio-economic development. 

Boro expressed dissatisfaction over BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary’s allegation regarding ABSU’s involvement in the vandalism that took place at the BTCLA on November 29. He reiterated that ABSU had already denied any involvement in the incident. He said that the students of various universities and colleges had joined the movement opposing ST status to six advanced and heterogeneous communities because they realized the eminent impact on existing tribal people. He also said that there was no personal conflict with Mohilary and that he respected him as the Chief of the BTC and his elder movement leader. He said that Mohilary should avoid personal enmity with him saying that the students of the colleges participated in the movement of their own accord and that there was no instigation from the ABSU. He also called upon Mohilary and his colleagues to ask their children whether they support ST categorization of six communities. He said that since the political parties were trying to reap political benefits, the political party leaders should stop mudslinging on ABSU over the students’ movement and leave them to decide for themselves as they would have to face the consequence of ST status to six populous communities.

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