Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has made a strong political push into Assam’s tea belt, addressing a massive rally of tea garden workers at Rajgarh Tea Estate in Dibrugarh.

Meghalaya Governor CH Vijayashankar on Tuesday approved amended rules making Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates mandatory for candidates contesting Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections.

Former MDC and Phulbari MLA S.G. Esmatur Mominin has questioned the legality of making Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates mandatory for candidates filing nominations for District Council elections.

The Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA) has announced it will reject the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) proposing Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six communities—Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshi, and Tea and Ex–Tea Garden Tribes—calling the move unconstitutional, historically flawed, and harmful to the rights of existing Scheduled Tribes.

The Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA) on Sunday set ablaze copies of the Group of Ministers (GoM) report intensifying its opposition to the government’s proposal on Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six communities.