Assam groups to boycott panchayat polls

Organisations representing six communities in Assam, seeking recognition as Scheduled Tribes, have called for a 36-hour...

Organisations representing six communities in Assam, seeking recognition as Scheduled Tribes, have called for a 36-hour bandh from December 30 coinciding with the first phase polling for the crucial panchayat elections in the state. According to these organisations, the alleged neglect of their demand by Delhi and Dispur prompted them to take such a decision.

A crucial meeting of the Janajati Aikya Mancha, attended by leaders of as many as 13 students, women and literary organisations representing the six communities, also called upon their people to boycott the panchayat elections. Assam will go for a three-phased panchayat election with voting taking place on December 31, January 4 and 9. 8220;The Governments, both in Delhi and Dispur, have deliberately chosen to ignore our demand for inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes. We have not only decided to boycott the panchayat elections, but are also determined to disrupt the election process,8221; Ashwini Chetia, spokesperson of the Mancha said. The 36-hour bandh begins at 5 am on December 30.

The six communities that have been demanding recognition as STs are Tai-Ahom, Koch-Rajbangshi, Chutiya, Marak, Moran and tea tribes. These groups have, both jointly as well as separately, carried out a series of agitations in the past six months to press for their demand.

The Janajati Aikya Mancha also hit out at Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Patty Ripple Kyndiah and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for allegedly employing divisive tactics against the agitating groups. 8220;Kyndiah and Gogoi have conspired to drive a wedge through our agitating groups by holding a farce discussion in Delhi last week with some unknown and self-styled representatives of some of our communities,8221; Chetia complained.

While Kyndiah called a meeting of leaders of the six communities, the state Government could present before him only a handful of leaders representing the All Assam Koch-Rajbangshi Sanmilani, Koch-Rajbangshi Association and Tai-Ahom Council. 8220;These non-existent groups are not part of the agitation. Instead we consider those persons as traitors to our cause,8221; Mancha spokesman Chetia said.

Interestingly, while the Janajati Aikya Mancha has called for boycott of the crucial panchayat elections, the Assam Tea Tribes Students8217; Association ATTSA and All Adivasi Students8217; Association of Assam AASAA have declared a 8220;ban8221; on entry of Congress leaders in tea gardens and other Adivasi-inhabited areas for carrying out election campaigns.

8220;We are not going to let any Congress leader enter areas inhabited by our people to campaign for the panchayat elections. It is the Congress party that is solely responsible for the present plight of the Adivasis and tea tribes living in Assam,8221; Justin Lakra, president of AASAA said here on Sunday.

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In fact, ATTSA and AASAA volunteers were involved in dismantling the election offices of Congress party in different places of the tea-growing Upper Assam districts in the past few days. Reports have also come in of chasing away and preventing Congress leaders from campaigning in tea garden areas.