A group of 26 tribal organisations in Assam on Monday held a rally near Guwahati against a potential move by the government to include new communities in the Scheduled Tribes list, The Telegraph reported.

A large group of persons from 14 communities that are part of the Scheduled Tribes list in the state gathered at Sonapur Mini Stadium for the protest organised by the Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisation of Assam. The 14 groups include the Bodo, Dimasa, Karbi, Rabha, Mising, Sonowal Kachari and Thengal Kachari communities.

The protesters alleged that the move to expand the Scheduled Tribes list is “politically motivated” in view of the Assembly elections expected to take place in 2026, The Telegraph reported.

The protest came amid demonstrations by six other communities, Moran, Muttock, Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Chutia and Adivasi (tea tribes), demanding Scheduled Tribes status, the newspaper reported.

Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised the six communities that they would be granted the Scheduled Tribes status within 100 days of forming the government.

Aditya Khaklari, the chief coordinator of the Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisation of Assam, said that adding new groups to the Scheduled Tribes list would hurt the rights of the tribes already on the list, The Telegraph reported.

Following the delimitation exercise of 2023-’24, the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes in the 126-member Assam Assembly increased from 16 to 19. Delimitation is the process of fixing boundaries of territorial constituencies.

Also read: BJP claims to protect ‘indigenous’ groups in Assam. But they are protesting against its government

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