Ron Duarah
TINSUKIA, Dec 23 : The All Assam Mottock Yuva Chatra Sanmilan (AAMYCS) has set December 25 as a deadline on the Assam Government to make a public announcement on conferment of ST status to six communities of the State. The association has warned of dire consequences in case the Government dithers on the issue, saying the matter has become long overdue.
Speaking to this newspaper today, the association's vice president and assistant general secretary, Pronab Baruah and Kuldip Gohain, respectively, said they are disturbed by a recent statement in the Rajya Sabha where, the Minister of State for Tribal Affairs said the Centre awaits further clarifications from the Assam Government on the matter of conferring ST status to six communities of the state, viz., the Moran, Mottock, Ahom, Chutia, Koch Rajbongshi and tea and ex-tea labourers groups.
As the Centre awaits a clarification on the matter, a huge delegation of the six communities recently staged a dharna at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar. While the activists of the six groups staged the demonstration on December 10, MPs from the State went to express their solidarity with the demand.
Meanwhile, there is a deep resentment against the politicians of all hues here. Locals here feel that politicians are playing a double role by expressing their solidarity when in Opposition, but preferring to remain indifferent when in power. "During election times, the politicians promise us everything we demand, and thereafter we have to shout at the top of our voices for our legitimate demands," said Baruah.
AAMYCS president Nikheswar Saikia said he is surprised that the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi is not known to have taken any side in relation to the demand for ST status by six communities in Assam. "What we least expect from our national leaders is a statement on our issue, it could be a plain dissent, but there has to be a statement," he said he feels.
Asked what could be the next course of action, if the Assam Government remains silent on the issue beyond December 25, both Baruah and Gohain said the matter would come up for a joint discussion at Bongaigaon. "Assam could go on a boil in the new year," was the grim warning.
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