Assam: Tea Tribes, Adivasi Communities Protest Demanding ST Status And Land Rights

Guwahati: Thousands of tea tribe and Adivasi community members on Monday took out a massive protest march in Assam’s Dibrugarh, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The communities have been demanding ST status, a fair daily wage, and land ownership for the last several decades. Earlier this week the communities had taken out a massive rally in Tinsukia on October 8, which drew a massive turn out.

Setting aside their organizational differences, five bodies – the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA), All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), 36 Janajati Parishad (Council of 36 tribes), and the Chah Jonogusthiyo Jatiya Mahasabha have launched this agitation together under a united front to press for their shared causes.

The secretary of ACMS (Dibrugarh branch), Nabin Chandra Keot, told reporters that workers of 218 organized tea estates, 24,000 small tea growers, and 70 bought-leaf tea factories across the district took part in the protest march on Monday.

While the tea tribes and Adivasi communities have long been agitating for numerous grievances, the current movement was focussing only on three core demands, described by the organizers as non-negotiable----increase in daily wage of tea workers to Rs 551, recognition of the communities as Scheduled Tribes and allocation of land pattas (legal land ownership rights). The joint forum has also announced plans to replicate such demonstrations in other districts. After Diwali, a major rally is planned in Sonari, covering the Charaideo and Sivasagar districts, with another one lakh participants expected.

Further, in December, an ‘Adivasi Tea Community Convention’ is being planned in Guwahati, in collaboration with several key organizations including ACMS, AASAA, Adivasi National Convention, ATWA, and others.

Mr Lakheswar Tanti, ACMS leader and one of the joint forum convenors, said, “This movement will not stop until all our demands are met. We have waited long enough. The time for action is now.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to address the long-pending demand of ST status for six communities from the state in a rally in run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The 2016 BJP vision document for the state polls had also committed ST status.

Besides the tea tribes and the Adivasis, other communities seeking ST status included the Tai Ahom, Moran, Muttock, Koch Rajbongshi and Chutia. All these communities currently enjoy OBC status. ST status will help them more in matters related to jobs, education and financial assistance. There are around 96 communities which identify themselves as tea tribes in Assam.

Earlier, the Tai Ahom and the Moran communities had also staged massive rallies seeking ST status.

Assam chief minister said that a government-constituted group of ministers was looking on the issue and will submit its report in the state Assembly in November.