Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday welcomed the Union Cabinet’s nod for granting Scheduled Tribe status to six communities listed as Other Backward Classes in Assam. These six communities – Chutia, Motok, Moran, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai-Ahom and Tea Tribes/Adivasis -– have been agitating for a long time demanding ST status. Moran community leader Arunjyoti Moran, too, was critical of the move ahead of the polls when the government had five years to do so. All Assam Students’ Union leader Samujjal Bhattacharya said the draft Bill has to be first perused minutely to know if the ST status move was for real. “We are not against ST status for the six communities, but the government has to ensure this does not infringe upon the rights of the existing ST communities in Assam,” he said, indicating the status could open a Pandora’s box.

Source: The Hindu January 08, 2019 19:39 UTC