As election season arrives in Assam, the political landscape once again echoes with powerful slogans demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for various ethnic groups. This issue holds the potential to dramatically influence electoral outcomes in at least six of the state's 14 Lok Sabha constituencies.
The Political Battle for Tribal Status
Deviating from its core Hindutva agenda, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made a significant promise in 2014 to include indigenous communities of Assam in the Scheduled Tribe list. This marked the first time a major political contender had championed the cause of the state's indigenous populations. The strategic move paid rich dividends, with the BJP winning four constituencies—Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, and Tezpur—dominated by these communities, areas that were previously considered Congress strongholds where BJP had never secured victory.
This election season, however, Congress has been fighting back with similar promises. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has made two key election commitments perfectly aligned with indigenous voters' sentiments—passing the ST status bill and scrapping the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
The Legislative Timeline and Political Maneuvering
Just weeks before election dates were officially announced, BJP introduced The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha. This landmark legislation proposed ST status for six communities: tea tribes Adivasis of Chhota Nagpur origin, Matak, Moran, Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, and Chutiya.
The timing of this proposal was particularly significant, coming amid widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that had been passed by the Lok Sabha just a day earlier. Many political analysts observed that this strategic move helped the Centre minimize anger against the citizenship bill in areas dominated by these six ethnic groups.
Currently, the bill remains pending in the Rajya Sabha due to BJP's inability to bring it up for discussion. Budhan Karmakar, president of the Barbaruah unit of the All Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association, questions the government's intent, stating, "If BJP really wanted, it would have passed the bill a long time ago and not waited until the last Parliament session."
Decades-Long Demand and Political Implications
The demand for ST status by these communities spans at least four decades. The implications of granting this status are profound—the tribal population of Assam would exceed 50%, leading to a significant increase in ST-reserved seats and declaration of several areas as tribal land.
David Chetia, president of the All Assam Matak Yuba Chhatra Sanmelan, expresses the communities' apprehension: "We fear that because of the protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, a deal may be struck to junk the ST status bill. Since we are politically deprived communities, we depend on others." He adds, "Rahul Gandhi has promised to put our ST demand in the Congress manifesto. Leaders from all six communities met him and he has given us his word."
Meanwhile, BJP faces challenges in convincing existing ST communities that recognizing these six OBC groups as tribes won't adversely affect them. Ramen Singh Rabha, chief coordinator of the Rabha Hasong Joint Movement Committee, voices concerns shared by some: "Most of the six communities have been at the forefront of Assamese society. How would we compete with them?"
Dipen Mosrong, president of the Tiwa Students' Union, emphasizes the need to address existing tribes' concerns first: "It is disturbing that the BJP-led government is trying to win these communities over with ST status while overlooking the concerns of existing ST communities."
Despite these challenges, BJP remains confident about the bill's electoral impact. Akhim Hazarika, president of the BJP ST Morcha in Assam, asserts, "Opposition to the ST status bill is merely political, all from Congress or its closet supporters. The real Assamese people will be protected because of what we are trying to do."
As Assam heads to polls, the promise of Scheduled Tribe status continues to be a central electoral issue that could determine the political fate of multiple constituencies and shape the state's social fabric for generations to come.
