New Delhi, Jan 02 (.) The Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA) on Thursday announced its outright rejection of the recommendations made by the Group of Ministers to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities.
Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribes are the communities that were proposed to be granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
CCTOA warned that the move is “illegal, unconstitutional and politically disastrous” for existing scheduled tribes in the state.
In a strongly worded statement, the CCTOA argued that the proposal violates constitutional principles, ignores historical and expert findings, and threatens to erode political representation and reservation safeguards of Assam’s indigenous tribal communities across Panchayats, Autonomous Councils, the State Assembly, and Parliament.
While speaking to ., Suhas Chakma, Chairman of the Consultative Committee of the CCTOA said, “The rights and benefits of these six communities in terms of access to education and employment are already secured through 27 per cent reservation as the OBCs at the State level and establishment of several autonomous and development councils for each of these communities. The only issue is the political reservation.”
“The granting of ST status will destroy the political reservation of the existing Scheduled Tribes at the Panchayats, Autonomous Councils, Autonomous District Council, State Legislative Assembly and the Parliament (Lok Sabha) level, in addition to affecting reservation from the Central government’s pool. The recommendation of reserving parliamentary seats (Kokrajhar and Diphu Lok Sabha seats) is not adequate to protect existing indigenous peoples from their destruction,” states Chakma.
In 1993, through the Assam govt’s recommendation, the National Commission for Backward Classes had notified these six communities as “Other Backward Castes”.
“Once they were identified as Scheduled Castes, they cannot be reclassified as Scheduled Tribes by the same government for political expediency”, argued CCTOA.
CCTOA states that as per 1950 Constitution Scheduled Caste order, the Koch were identified as a “Scheduled Caste” in West Bengal, however, once the Koch had been identified as Scheduled Castes in West Bengal, “they cannot be classified as the Scheduled Tribes in Assam.’
As the reservation is based on proportionate populations, the existing Scheduled Tribes shall suffer once these six communities are listed as Scheduled Tribes.
The most critical issue is the recommendation by the all-party delegation of Assam Legislative Assembly to ensure that the grant of ST status to these six communities “does not affect the rights of the existing STs”.
The current recommendations of the Assam Government, apart from “being illegal and unconstitutional, affect and indeed destroy the political rights of the existing communities at the Panchayats, Autonomous Councils, Autonomous District Council, State Legislative Assembly and the Parliament (Lok Sabha) level.”
. JMB PRP