Himanta Biswa Sarma ‘stoking conflict’ between six communities and existing STs: Gaurav Gogoi

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of “stoking conflict” between the six communities demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and the state’s existing ST groups. 

His remarks came a day after the state government tabled the Group of Ministers’ (GoM) report on the long-pending demand for ST recognition in the Assam Assembly.

Gogoi said the report failed to convincingly assure that the rights and privileges of existing ST communities would remain protected if the six communities—Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Matak, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribes (Adivasis)—were granted ST status. The Congress leader, who also serves as the party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, reiterated that the Congress has always supported including these six indigenous groups as STs, but only in a manner that does not dilute the entitlements of current ST communities.

He recalled that during the tenure of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the Assam Assembly had passed a resolution backing ST status for these groups without disturbing the existing reservation structure. “Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while bringing a report to grant category-wise ST status, has been unable to show that the rights of the existing ST communities remain intact,” Gogoi said in a post on X.

Tensions escalated on Saturday when students of Bodoland University stormed the Assembly hall of the BTC Secretariat and vandalised property in protest against the cabinet’s approval of the GoM report. The Bodos, one of the largest ST groups in Assam, have expressed concern over possible implications for their reservation benefits.

Gogoi alleged that the government’s approach mirrored “divide-and-rule politics” reminiscent of colonial times. “As an indigenous community, we want the best for our tribal brothers and sisters. But it seems the chief minister is stoking another conflict between six indigenous communities and the Scheduled Tribes of Assam,” he claimed, adding that people were weary of such politics and aspired to live in harmony as a united “Bor Axom”.

The GoM report recommended a three-tier classification of STs in the state to accommodate the demands of the six communities while attempting to preserve existing quotas. It proposed creating a new category—‘ST (Valley)’—to include Ahom, Chutia, Tea Tribes and Koch-Rajbongshi (excluding undivided Goalpara). For Moran, Matak and Koch-Rajbongshi (Goalpara), the panel suggested inclusion under ‘ST (Plains)’, noting limited opposition from communities within that category.

The report emphasised the need for continued dialogue with all stakeholders to arrive at a “conclusive solution”. Any final decision on granting ST status will ultimately require approval from Parliament through a constitutional amendment.