UKHRUL: The Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA) has rejected the Group of Ministers’ proposal to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities—Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribes acting on the recommendation of a consultative group chaired by activist Suhas Chakma.
The committee stated Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are constitutionally distinct categories, with ST identification based on tribal characteristics outlined by the Lokur Committee (1965). It noted that the Assam government had earlier classified these communities as Other Backward Classes, a status later notified by the National Commission for Backward Classes, and argued that reclassification as ST would amount to political expediency.
On Tea and Ex-Tea Garden Tribes, CCTOA said every major committee since Independence including the 1947 Bordoloi–Thakkar report and the Lokur Committee had explicitly opposed granting them ST status, stating that tea garden labourers brought from outside Assam could not be treated as indigenous tribes.
The group also flagged the failure to distinguish between Koch and Rajbongshi identities. In Goalpara, Koch are largely Hindu migrants from East Pakistan, while Rajbongshi are indigenous to Assam. The Koch were already recognised as Scheduled Castes in West Bengal, and CCTOA argued they cannot now be reclassified as Scheduled Tribes, saying overlooking these distinctions ignores historical and legal realities.
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Tai Ahoms, Chutiyas, Morans and Mataks are part of mainstream Assamese society and were not included as Scheduled Tribes in the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, CCTOA added.
The group said the demand of the six communities is mainly to secure political reservation in Panchayats, Autonomous Councils, and the State Assembly, as no seats are reserved for OBCs there. Their rights to education and employment are already protected through 27% OBC reservation and various autonomous councils.
Granting ST status would undermine the political representation and reservation share of existing Scheduled Tribes at the local, state, and central levels.
Disclaimer: All information in this article is drawn from publicly available sources and/or insights provided by the experts consulted.