Assam: Report has nothing not discussed with Tribal Sangha, says CM Sarma

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Reacting to the sharp criticism of the GoM’s (Group of Ministers) report on the issue of according ST status to six ethnic communities of the state, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the report had nothing that had not been discussed with the Tribal Sangha. The Chief Minister also urged the Congress to offer a solution to this issue if they have any.

Speaking to the media in Guwahati today, the Chief Minister said, “What the GoM has recommended for a solution to the ST issue is the only scientific one. If the Congress has an alternative solution, they should submit that in writing. We’ll discuss it. If their proposal is better than that of ours, we’ll accept and send it to the Centre. We haven’t sent the GoM report to the Centre as yet.”

On the agitation by the All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS), the Chief Minister said, “I had 12-20 sittings with the Tribal Sangha in the past three years. The GoM report has nothing that was not discussed with the Tribal Sangha. I don’t know why they are staging protests against the GoM report. I’ll ask and tell them that we had been discussing what has appeared in the GoM report for the past three years. If they go through the report, they will know that it has something for each of the stakeholder communities. The report has not hampered any community’s rights and privileges.”  

 Also read: Assam: Tribal bodies burn GoM report copies over ST status row