GUWAHATI, Dec. 5: Assam tribal affairs (plains) minister Ranoj Pegu on Thursday held the first round of consultations with representatives of the Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations, Assam (CCTOA) on the contentious issue of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six additional communities in the state.
The consultations on the Group of Ministers’ (GoM) report on granting ST status to the six communities – Tai-Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Matak, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribe (Adivasi) – were held in accordance with a decision of the Assam Cabinet on November 30, 2025.
It may be recalled that the development comes in the wake of protests led by the CCTOA, an umbrella body of 26 tribal groups, rejecting the proposal by the GoM and warning of long-term implications for the existing 14 ST communities in the state.
Taking to social media later, Pegu, who heads the three-member GoM, revealed that he had explained the recommendations given by the GoM and the measures proposed to safeguard the rights of existing Scheduled Tribes.
“I requested CCTOA to read chapters five and six of the report together. CCTOA informed that, based on our clarifications, they will form an expert committee and submit their report within a month,” the minister said.
Notably, the meeting, held at Janata Bhawan here, marks the beginning of an intensive month-long dialogue that could influence major policy decisions in the state.
Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, CCTOA chief coordinator Aditya Khakhlari and ABSU president Dipen Boro said the organisation had submitted a detailed set of recommendations and objections to the ministerial team.
“The minister gave us a patient hearing about our concerns and elaborated on the contents of the Group of Ministers (GoM) report. We have sought one month’s time to study the document thoroughly before providing our feedback,” Khakhlari said.
According to the CCTOA, a second round of consultation on the issue with the GoM would be held after a month, during which the committee would engage Bodo intellectuals, legal experts, former MLAs and MPs for arriving at a comprehensive position on the issue.
“After the next round of talks, we will seek meetings with the chief minister and the Union home minister,” Khakhlari said, reiterating that the rights, safeguards and opportunities of existing Scheduled Tribe communities must not be diluted under any circumstances.
The coordination committee also raised concerns about the wider implications of the proposed move, particularly in areas such as national-level examinations, higher education admissions and government recruitment.
