Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said his government has always supported the issue of according Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities in the ST list.
"We have always supported the granting of Scheduled Tribe status to the six communities. We had only provided the necessary documents to the Centre for justiying their inclusion in the ST list", Gogoi told reporters here.
The six communities of Koch-Rajbongshis, Moran, Mottock, Sootea, Tai Ahom and the tea tribe communities have been agitating to demand ST status to them.
Worried over possible demographic changes in Assam due to illegal immigration, the NDA government is contemplating to turn the state into a tribal majority by according Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the six communities.
The Centre's move followed the pro-talk faction of ULFA having recent peace talks with the Centre where it asserted to give up the demand of Assam's sovereignty only if the six communities were given ST status.
The group-led by ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa voiced strong concern over the alleged unabated illegal migration from Bangladesh and conveyed to the government that granting ST status to the six communities was the only way out to protect the interests of the indigenous people of Assam.
All the six communities currently listed as other backward classes (OBC) are demanding to be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes as the new status would give them more benefits.
Of the 3.12 crore population in Assam as per the 2011 census, the combined population of the five communities along with the existing tribals such as Bodo, Sonowal-Kachari, Dimasa, Karbi, etc., would be around 50 per cent.
