IBPP calls for withdrawal of GoM report on ST status to six communities

OUR CORRESPONDENT

KOKRAJHAR: Indigenous Bhumiputra People's Party (IBPP) on Wednesday called for the withdrawal of the GoM report on ST status to six populous communities and asserted that the issue of singer Zubeen Garg's justice was being diverted to ST categorization in a deliberate way by the Chief Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Talking to this correspondent, the President of the IBPP, Dr Phukan Chandra Boro, a former movement leader of the ABSU, said that the State Government should stop the move to grant ST status to six advanced and heterogeneous communities suspending the GoM's report. He said that the BJP-led State Government while eyeing the 2026 assembly election brought the ST status issue for political mileage ignoring the sentiments and rights of the existing indigenous tribal communities. He expressed fear that there could be communal conflicts between the existing tribals and the newly-included communities if the ST status was given to the populous and advanced communities. He also said that the Government of Assam had no power to categorize the communities who do not fulfil the desired criteria of being tribals but that yet the State Government was going ahead with the offering of 'lollypop' to garner support for the 2026 election.

Boro said that the six communities were neither sons of the soil nor early settlers but came or were brought from different parts and therefore, there was no merit to grant ST status to them. He also urged the tribal organizations not to participate in a meaningless discussion on the issue on December 4. He called upon all tribal people to stand together and fight together for safeguarding the rights and facilities of the indigenous tribal people.

Also Read: Assam: BJP slams opposition over ST status report for 6 communities