GUWAHATI: The State Government assured the ARSU (All Rabha Students’ Union) and other Rabha organizations of including them in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The Rabha organizations said that they would resort to agitations if the government did not keep its assurance.
The All Rabha Students’ Union (ARSU) and other Rabha organizations had been agitating for a long time, demanding the inclusion of the Rabhas in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the creation of a Rabha Development Council for the Rabhas residing outside the RHAC (Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council) area. The organizations started a series of agitations on March 13 this year in support of their twin demands.
Today, Cabinet Minister Ranoj Pegu invited the ARSU and some other organizations for talks. The minister informed the Rabha organizations that the government had already formed a committee for the inclusion of the Rabhas in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India. He also said that the committee would submit its report to the government shortly. He said that the government has equal sympathy for the demands of the Rabhas, and the government would keep its commitments.
The Rabha bodies told the Minister that the government had made the commitment a long time ago but had yet to fulfil it. The Rabhas have had some festivals of late. If the government does not keep its commitment, the organisations will take to the streets yet again.
After the meeting, ARSU president Nripen Khanda said, "The meeting was fruitful. The government assured us of fulfilling our demands. We will wait and watch. If the government does not act as assured, we will have no alternative but to take to agitation."
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