Guwahati, Dec 5: The Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA), an umbrella body of more than 20 existing Scheduled Tribe (ST) groups, on Thursday submitted its “interim objections and suggestions” to the state government, reiterating its strong opposition to any proposal that could dilute the constitutional protections currently enjoyed by ST communities in Assam.
The organisation has also demanded a tripartite meeting involving the state government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a later stage to take the discussions forward.
Their submissions come in the backdrop of the Group of Ministers (GoM) recently presenting an interim report in the Assembly recommending ST status for six communities — Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Matak, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribes (Adivasi).
The CCTOA has been at the forefront of statewide protests against the GoM report, arguing that inclusion of the six communities in the ST list would adversely impact the rights and reservation benefits of existing ST groups. The pushback has prompted the GoM to initiate dialogue with the organisation.
“We have raised our concerns to ensure that the interests of existing ST communities are not compromised. We have sought modifications to the interim report,” CCTOA leader Aditya Khaklary told reporters.
He added that the committee has sought a meeting with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as the next step, to be followed by a tripartite discussion with the state government and the Union Home Minister.
Khaklary further noted that while Assam categorises its tribes as ST (Plains) and ST (Hills), both are listed under a single ST category at the central level. “If an ST (V) category is introduced in the state, they too will eventually fall under the same ST pool nationally,” he said.
Also Read: Manipur’s Irengbam appointed as NPP national VP
Also Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on-
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
