![BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomes Centre's decision to grant ST status to six communities of Assam](http://media.assettype.com/english-sentinelassam%2Fimport%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F01%2FHimanta-Biswa-Sarma.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Guwahati: State Health Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomes the Centre's decision to grant ST status to six communities of Assam on Tuesday. The six communities which have granted ST status are Ahom, Moran, Muttock, Chetia, Tea Tribes and Koch Rajbongshi.
The decision to clear the proposal was granted by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
The Home Minister Rajnath Singh had announced in Lok Sabha today about the Narendra Modi Government clearing the draft bill for granting of tribal status to these six communities.
It may be mentioned that these six communities were included in the OBC list in the state. Therefore, the Commission has recommended the quantum of reservations in the state be reviewed by the state government and the need to protect the interests of the existing scheduled tribes in the area.
Also, Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma thanked PM Modi through twitter, He tweeted saying, "Constitutional status to Clause 6 of the Assam Accord will protect us from demographic invasion. Tribal status to 6 communities will make Assam forte of indigenous people".
Furthermore, on Tuesday, Himanta Biswa Sarma expressing his views on the historic decision clearly stated that if working for the indigenous people of Assam is a crime, then the BJP party would continue doing the same and none can stop them to work for the sake of the indigenous Assamese people. "If such activities lead to the destruction of the BJP office or our home then we don't care. We claim our self as the proud Assamese people today. This will be our contribution to the society and community," Himanta said.
On the other hand, speaking about the controversial Citizenship Bill, Himanta stated that he is not at all interested for going into any kind of argument with the AASU leaders on this matter. "People of Assam are well aware of the technical terms of the Assam Accord. If this bill wouldn't have been passed today in the Lok Sabha, then Assam's 18 Assembly constituencies would have been under AIUDF supremo Maulana Badruddin Ajmal and Md Ali Jinnah. PM Modi rather provided a safeguard to the Assamese people," Himanta adds.
He claimed that the constituencies like Sorbhog, Jagiroad, Barpeta, Bilasipara East, Golukganj, Lumding, Sonai, Borkhola, Udarban, Mangaldia many more from lower Assam would have moved under Badruddin Ajmal. "A section of people are raising propaganda to make Badruddin Ajmal as the next Chief Minister of Assam.
He also stated that the bill was passed on the basis of religion, "there is nothing to think about it, we cannot allow Bangladeshi Muslims to encroach our lands alike Congress and Trinamool Congress. They never protested for the sake of the Hindus, they rather demanded Muslims to be included in the bill, I cannot allow them to encroach my satras land, Kaziranga land anymore," Himanta added further.