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The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has alleged that the state government is deceiving regarding the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six indigenous communities.
Addressing a press conference, APCC Working President Roselina Tirkey said that the BJP and the state government have been continuously misleading the people of the Moran, Matak, Ahom, Chutia, Koch-Rajbongshi, and Tea Tribes in the name of granting ST status. Tirkey stated that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has no real commitment to the indigenous people of Assam and accused him and the BJP of being at the centre of lies and betrayal. Instead of resolving critical national issues, they are intent on creating unrest in Assam, she added. Speaking at the same press meet, APCC General Secretary Bipul Gogoi said that the truth came out in Parliament when MPs Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain asked the government about the latest status on the ST demand. In response, Durga Das Uikey, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, informed Parliament that the Assam government had not submitted reports from two ministerial groups formed under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma. According to Gogoi, these two ministerial groups were formed in July 2024 and March 2025, but they deliberately failed to submit their recommendations to the central government regarding the ST issue. He further alleged that the BJP government has shown no sincerity in this matter. Gogoi recalled that back in 1996, the Congress government under Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia had initiated the process to grant ST status to the six communities. However, the successive BJP governments under Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma have made no genuine efforts to pursue it, which is highly condemnable, he said. Meanwhile, Bedabrata Bora, Chairman of the APCC Media Department, said that the BJP government is all show and no substance--like "a colourful shell with an empty core." He criticised the government for misleading the public with flashy slogans and hollow promises. He also mentioned that a committee led by Justice Biplab Sharma had been constituted based on the Assam Accord to safeguard the rights of indigenous Assamese communities. The committee had submitted its report four years ago, recommending implementation within two years, and included the demand for ST status for the six communities. However, the government has not dared to implement the Biplab Sharma report. Bora challenged Himanta Biswa Sarma to implement the report if he has the courage and integrity. (ANI)
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