Guwahati: Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, former insurgent leader and current Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) chief Hagrama Mohilary has urged the ruling BJP to grant the Scheduled Tribe status to six communities in Assam.
The BTAD and the Bodoland Peoples Party (BPF) chief raised the issue during a meeting with BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi on Sunday.
At the meet, Mohilary gave Shah a memorandum which outlined several issues related to the BTAD including the resolution of problems posed by the United Liberation Front of Assam (UNLFA) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the granting of ST status to the communities.
The BPF chief maintained that the Centre should pass the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after the upcoming elections.
The six communities in Assam - Chutia, Motok, Moran, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai-Ahom and Tea Tribes, have been demanding ST status for a long time now.
"The Scheduled Tribes Amendment Bill, 2019 which was introduced in the Rajya Sabha for the inclusion of six communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes of Assam was not passed due to constant disruptions in the Parliament. This Bill should be passed immediately after the general elections to resolve the long pending demand of these communities without affecting the rights and priviledges of the existing tribals as announced by the Home Minister in parliament,” the memorandum addressed to Shah read.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribe) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on January 9th but was rejected.
The BPF chief raised several other issues, which included the “inclusion of Bodo and Karbi people in the list of Scheduled Tribes”, the “flood problem of Assam to be recognized and declared as National Problem”.
Comments
0 comment