Miffed with government for 'betraying'; Tai Ahoms, TAYPA warns of befitting reply

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: The Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad, Assam (TAYPA), organizing a press meet at North Lakhimpur Press Club on Saturday, slammed the BJP-led government for not granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Tai Ahom community.

In connection with the issue, the organization expressed strong reaction over the State Government's move to create autonomous councils for the Moran, Motok, and Koch-Rajbongshi communities of the State while completely ignoring the Tai Ahom, Chutia and tea tribe communities who unitedly demanded the granting of ST status to them.

"We have conveyed our best wishes to the Moran, Motok and Koch Rajbonshi communities for the State Government's move taken for creating autonomous councils in order to strengthen their socio-economic conditions. But the promise of the BJP, as declared in the election manifesto, was to grant the ST status to the six communities of the State, including the Tai Ahoms. The existing State Government has betrayed the remaining three communities by not granting them ST status and has absolutely failed to keep their poll promise. The Tai Ahom community will never tolerate it and a befitting reply will be given to the State Government in the ensuing assembly election to be held in 2021," said Ajit Buragohain, the assistant secretary of TAYPA, while addressing the press meet.

The TAYPA assistant secretary also declared that the organization would never retreat from their demand for granting ST status to the Tai Ahom community. "In order to carry on the fight to achieve this success, a political party of the Tai Ahom community will be formed very soon. For this purpose, a mass convention will be held in Charaideo on December 2, on the day of Asom Divas," said Ajit Buragohain.

He further expressed vehement resentment against the State Government for not paying due attention for the survival of the Tai academies.

"The Tai academies, which came up for the spread of Tai language, are moving towards destruction due to negligence on the part of the State Government. These academies have still not been provincialized and no financial package has been granted to them. We have demanded the State Government to initiate steps to keep the Tai academies alive," Ajit Buragohain further added.

Through the press meet, the organization demanded the State Government to introduce Tai language in the lower primary and upper primary schools, to start process for appointing Tai language teachers and to move forward for the constitution of the Upper House in the State so that all the communities of the State could get the opportunity to be represented in the assembly.  

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