ST status to tea tribes: Ghatowar calls for mass movement

DIBRUGARH, Feb 14 — The three-day fifth Adivasi Mahasabha was held at Sarupathar College in Golaghat district from February 8. The conference was attended by about 15,000 persons from all over Assam. The meet was organised by the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam. At the open session of the concluding day, several Congress leaders attended as guest speakers. They included the Dibrugarh MP, Paban Singh Ghatowar, the Assam Assembly Speaker Prithibi Majhi, MLAs Rupam Kurmi, Aklius Tirkey and Etuwa Munda and the Assam Labour Minister, Rameswar Dhanowar. After inaugurating the open session, Ghatowar in his speech dwelt at length on a “mass movement” for ST status to the State’s tea and ex-tea labourer community. Speaking on the occasion, Majhi stressed the need for a higher literacy level among the people of the community, while Dhanowar said the community has to contribute to the unification of the greater Assamese society. The mahasabha souvenir, AIG was released by Munda. The AASAA leaders who spoke at the open session made it abundantly clear that they would be opposing the creation of the Bodoland territorial council till the community was guaranteed safety of lfie and property, and until the riot-affected members of the community were properly rehabilitated. Several hundred riot-affected families of the community are still having to while away their time in so-called relief camps in the Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Dhubri districts. An AASAA memorandum, stating their opposition to the BTC was handed over to Dhanowar, with a request to take up the matter with the Assam Chief Minister. The students further stated that the “adivasis” would not be responsible for any turn of events in case the State government goes ahead to constitute the BTC without taking the “non-Bodos” into confidence.