From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: After scaling down from its original demand for ‘sovereignty’, the militant United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) now wants Assam to be made a tribal state through grant of Scheduled Tribe status to at least six more ethnic communities.
One of the key demands of the ULFA faction, which is engaged in dialogue with the Government of India since August last year, is to declare Assam a tribal state by according Scheduled Tribe status to six ethnic communities — Tai Ahom, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshis, Adivasi (tea garden workers) and Chutia.
It has been informed by Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi who said that his government’s stand regarding the demand for ST status by these six communities was same as that of the ULFA.
“I understand that the ULFA wants ST status to the six ethnic communities in Assam which have been agitating for the status and it is in tune with the known stand of our government. Grant of ST status to these six communities will virtually convert Assam to a tribal state,” Gogoi said.
The chief minister further informed that the on-going dialogue between the ULFA and the government of India was progressing in the right direction and hoped for an early solution to the problem.
However, Gogoi expressed ignorance about the ULFA’s stand that the dialogue should deliver the solution before the next general election to be held in 2014.
Meanwhile, Central government is actively considering to grant ST status to Moran, Motok and Koch-Rajbongshi communities after Assam government had submitted the ethnographic reports on these three communities to the Ministry of Home Affairs that would forward it to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for further action with the Registrar General of India (RGI), according to a source here.
The ULFA which no longer sticks to its demand for sovereignty, insists on Constitutional protection of indigenous communities of the State.
At present, 12.4 per cent of Assam’s 3.2 crore population (2011 census) are recorded as ST.
As per the Article 342 of the Constitution, communities are notified as Scheduled Tribes if they have following five basic characteristics – primitive traits, geographical isolation, distinct culture, shyness of contact with community at large and economic backwardness.
Meanwhile, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), a political amalgamation of over 12 minority political groups in Assam, has registered strong protest against the the reported efforts to covert Assam to a tribal state.
The AIUDF in its protest registered with chief minister Tarun Gogoi said that grant of tribal state status to Assam would lead to deprivation of political and other rights to over 50 per cent of its population.