Barpeta: The All Assam Koch Rajbongsi Students Union on Wednesday threatened to boycott the upcoming panchayat polls in the state if its demand for granting of schedule tribe status to the community was not accepted by the government.
“The state and Central government have played a game regarding our burning problem. Why are they indifferent in this matter when the President of India had signed the notification for declaring us as STs back in 1996,” AAKRASU central committee member Ranjit Barman said.
He was speaking to the media after a meeting of the students’ body at Chenga in Barpeta district.
“We will boycott the ensuing panchayat election if the government does not take any steps in this matter,” he said, adding that AAKRASU has also asked all political leaders to publicly declare their stand on the issue.
The panchayat elections in Assam will be held in three phases on January 30, February 6 and February 12, 2013. (PTI)