Congress, Raijor Dal walk out of Assam Assembly over delay in ST status for six communities

Opposition Congress and Raijor Dal legislators on Tuesday, July 14, staged a walkout from the Assam Assembly, protesting what they described as the continued delay in granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six indigenous communities in the State.

Leader of the Opposition Wajed Ali Choudhury raised the issue during a Special Mention under Rule 301, questioning the State government on the status of the proposal and seeking a timeline for according ST status to the communities.

"Why is it taking so much time? The government has made repeated announcements, but nothing concrete has come out. At what stage is the matter pending with the State and the Centre?" Mr. Choudhury asked.

Responding to the discussion, Tribal Affairs (Plains) Minister Ranoj Pegu said a Group of Ministers (GoM) had already submitted its report to the Assembly.

He said that following the submission of the report, several stakeholders had offered suggestions, some of which were incorporated, delaying its submission to the Centre. He added that the Assembly elections also contributed to the delay.

"The Chief Minister has approved the modifications, and the report will now be sent to the Centre for further action," Mr. Pegu said.

However, when the Minister did not specify a timeline for granting ST status, Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi sought clarification on when the process would be completed.

With no definite deadline forthcoming, MLAs of the Congress and Raijor Dal walked out of the House in protest.

The Moran, Motok, Chutia, Tai Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribes communities have long been demanding inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list, arguing that the status would provide them with reservation benefits in education and public employment.

The GoM's interim report, tabled in the Assembly in November last year, proposed a three-tier reservation framework to accommodate the six communities without affecting the existing reservation quota for recognised tribal groups.

The report recommended the creation of a new ST (Valley) category to include the Tai Ahom, Chutia, Tea Tribes and Koch-Rajbongshi communities, excluding those from undivided Goalpara. It also proposed including the Moran, Motok and Koch-Rajbongshi communities from Goalpara under the existing ST (Plains) category.

The report noted that consultations with stakeholders would continue before a final proposal is sent to Parliament, as any change in the Scheduled Tribe list requires a constitutional amendment.