All eyes on Home Ministry report on ST status to six groups in Assam
Source: The Sangai Express
Guwahati, October 15 2016:
The leaders of six ethnic communities, as well as tribal organisations, are keenly waiting for the Home Ministry’s report on the modalities for granting ST status to the communities.
The report, prepared by a Home Ministry committee, is expected to be finalized by Saturday.
Earlier, the Home Ministry constituted a committee for recommending modalities for reservation, shifting of existing reservation of six communities from OBC to ST, protecting the interest of existing tribes, mechanism to ensure fairness of reservation within the six communities and related security considerations.
The six communities who are demanding ST status are Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia and Adivasi.
The leaders of the six communities met the committee members last month.
“They (committee) have promised us that the final report will be ready by October 15 (Saturday).
The report will then be placed in Parliament.
So, we are hopeful that the Centre will take some steps in fulfilling our demand for ST status,” said All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) president Hitesh Barman.
The committee was supposed to submit its report by May but it was extended up to September.
“So, when we met the committee members last month, we expressed our unhappiness over the delay in finalizing the report.
It was during the meeting that we were told that the report will be submitted to the Centre by October 15,” added Barman.
On the other hand, the Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisation of Assam (CCTOA), an umbrella body of different tribal groups which are against ST status to the six communities, said it will decide on its next course of action based on the report.
“We have already made our stand clear to the Government that we are against ST status to the six communities.
We will go through the report very minutely and accordingly draw our action plan,” said CCTOA chief coordinator Aditya Khaklary.
The CCTOA has called a meeting on Sunday where the leaders will deliberate on their action based on the recommendations of the report.
In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, BJP had promised ST status to the six communities.