Laws to be amended before Moran, Motok autonomous council polls: CM Sarma
The Chief Minister said that the government doesn’t want to ‘rush’ on it as these are ‘sensitive’ issues;
A file image of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Guwahati, June 18: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that amendments to existing laws are required before holding elections to the Moran and Motok autonomous councils, to ensure that only members of the respective communities are eligible to vote.
“The cabinet will soon approve the amendments. These are sensitive issues, so we do not want to rush the process. We are taking it slow to ensure that no complications arise,” the Chief Minister said at a press briefing in Dibrugarh on Tuesday.
It may be recalled that in June 2020, the Assam Assembly passed bills for the creation of three autonomous councils—Moran, Motok, and Kamtapur.
The move came at the height of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, as part of the state government’s efforts to address longstanding demands from various indigenous communities.
The Moran and Motok communities, along with four others, have been consistently demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
On June 3, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram told The Assam Tribune that the Centre is actively considering the issue of granting ST status to six communities—Adivasi/Tea Tribes, Tai Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia, and Koch-Rajbongshi.
“My ministry is working positively on the matter. However, no final decision has been taken yet. We are examining all aspects of the issue,” Oram said.
He added that the Registrar General of India (RGI) is currently reviewing the proposals and offering its recommendations regarding the inclusion of these communities in the ST list.
“We have also received multiple recommendations from the Assam government,” the Minister noted.
The demand for ST status for the six ethnic groups has remained a politically sensitive issue in Assam for decades.
Notably, on September 23, 2024, representatives of these communities staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, seeking fulfilment of their constitutional rights.
The issue dates back to 2019 when the Scheduled Tribes Amendment Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, proposing the inclusion of these six communities in the ST list.
Although the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) had recommended their inclusion, the bill has yet to be passed into law.