Tai Ahoms stage torch rally in Moran, warn BJP over unfulfilled ST status promise

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: Thousands of members of the Tai Ahom community staged a massive torch rally at Moran town in Dibrugarh district on Tuesday evening, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for their community.

The demonstration, organised by several influential Tai Ahom organizations including the Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad, Assam (TAYPA) and the All Tai Ahom Students' Union (ATASU), saw protesters marching through the town with burning torches while chanting slogans of ‘No ST, No Rest.’

The rally comes as tensions escalate between the community and the ruling BJP government over a decade-old promise that remains unfulfilled. TAYPA President Diganta Tamuly issued a stern warning to the government ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, stating that the Tai Ahom community would not hesitate to boycott the BJP if their demand was not met. "For over a decade since 2014, we have waited for the BJP to fulfil its promise of granting ST status to the Tai Ahom community. We will not tolerate this betrayal any longer. If our demands are not met soon, the Tai Ahoms will boycott the BJP in the 2026 Assembly polls. They will face severe backlash," Tamuly said. 

The BJP had pledged ST status for six Assam communities—Tai Ahoms, Mataks, Koch-Rajbongshis, Chutias, Morans, and Tea Tribes—during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign. However, despite repeated assurances over the years, the Tai Ahoms, who ruled Assam for six centuries under the historic Ahom dynasty, along with the five other groups, remain excluded from the ST list. The Tai Ahom community wields considerable electoral influence in upper Assam, particularly in districts such as Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, and Lakhimpur. Political analysts note that the community plays a decisive role in determining election outcomes in several Assembly constituencies across these regions.

Also Read: Tai Ahom youth body protests in Guwahati, demands ST status and autonomous council