Tribal organizations float Asom Bhumiputra Mancha

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: As anticipated, 22 tribal organizations under the CCTOA (Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organizations of Assam) and other tribal organizations floated a new political forum – Asom Bhumiputra Mancha (ABF) — on Sunday.

The organizations got into a huddle in Guwahati under the CCTOA at a meeting presided over a presidium comprising AATS (All Assam Tribal Sangha) president Milan Sonowal, ABSU (All Bodo Students' Union) president Dwipen Bodo, TMPK (Takam Mising Porin Kebang) president Rajkumar Morang and ARSU (All Rabha Students' Union) president Nripen Khanda.

The meeting felt the dire necessity of such a form to put political pressure for solutions to the problems afflicting the tribal population in the State and to fulfill their social and political aspirations.

According to CCTOA chief coordinator Aditya Khakhlari, though the present government speaks of ensuring land rights to the tribal people of the State, the ground reality remains that even the land under the occupation of tribal people has not been surveyed as yet, let alone providing them land rights. The CCTOA has demanded of the Government to survey the lands under the occupation of tribal people in the State and provide them land pattas. The CCTOA has also raised the demand for immediate eviction of non-tribal people who have encroached upon lands in tribal belts and blocks in the State. It has also raised the demand for the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and ensuring land rights to tribal people living in forest areas in the State.

The newly-formed ABF, according to Khakhlari, is also going to put pressure on various political parties in the State to spell out their respective opinions and policies for solutions to the problems afflicting the tribal people in Assam through their election manifestos for the Assembly election slated for 2021.

The Mancha has raised the demand for bringing the autonomous councils of the Tiwa, Mising, Rabha, Sonowal Kachari, Deori and the Thengal Kachari should be brought under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution of India. It has also raised the demand for forming Tirap Autonomous Council, besides granting autonomy to Mech, Hasong, Karbi (Plain), Modahi Kachari, Sarania Kachari and Barman Kachari.

Citing the 2011 Census, Khakhlari said that the tribal population in Assam rose by 12.5 per cent, and in sync with this rise in population the reservation for ST in the State should also be raised up to 15 per cent.

He said that no political party or government in the State has taken any tangible step to solve the problems of tribal people in the State in the past six decades. Such an attitude, according to him, has posed an existential threat to the tribal sons of the soil on their own land.

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