New Delhi - The state of Assam is diverse in regard to the various indigenous communities. While most enjoy the opportunities and representation that come with ST status, many are still fighting for the same. The Adivasi population, brought to the state by the Britishers to work as laborers, comes under the OBC category, limiting them from greater representation. To create awareness about the situation and to demand Scheduled Tribes status in the state, the All Adivasi Student Association of Assam organized a sit-in at Jantar Mantar on Friday, 8th December.

Pradeep Nag, president of the All Adivasi Students Association of Assam, spoke to The Mooknayak regarding the movement and the importance of communities coming together. He remarked, “Birsa Munda was one of the first freedom fighters of India. He and his tribe are considered ST. We belong to the same family, so why are we not STs? Don’t we live in the same country and follow the same laws? This is injustice.”

Nag said, “Right now, we come under the ‘Other Backward Category (OBC) and have been demanding ST status for many years. Our communities are already ST in other states to whom we owe our origin. So, there is no need for any new modality. The government only needs to raise our status; that is all.”

Talking about the demands of the tea garden workers, the association president revealed, “We demand pattas and land in the tea gardens and village areas, like all other Adivasi communities are provided. This is because we have been in Assam for a long time now, even before India’s independence from Britain. But everything will come with the ST status. Our communities have been overlooked, and we hope through the status, we will be provided with representation. ST status would mean reservations in education and employment, a constitutional protection which is missing.”

Nag opened up about the issues faced by the workers due to a very low wage. He said, “Tea garden workers get a minimum wage of 250 rupees. How will someone go to a good school, study and become an engineer or an IAS officer with 250 bucks? The same money goes into education, health, and food expenditure.”

Pradeep called out the BJP government in the state and center by saying, “Modi Sarkaar calls themselves ‘Gareebo ka Maseeha’ [Saviour of the poor]. We are marginalized too. There is no logic behind this diplomacy from the government’s side. Everyone is human, right? Basic humanity and kindness would also ask for us to be saved, but that is missing from the authorities as well.”

“The Constitution has given us the rights to move and settle in different regions of the nation. It has been 76 years of Independence, yet we are not being treated the same.”

History of the Tea Garden Workers

Pradeep Nag explained, “The British brought us into the tea gardens and put us within fences. They made sure we are born in the gardens and get to work only there, away from society. The same formula is still going on in the tea gardens. India got independence in 1947, but the institutional systems are still under rule.”

Adivasi groups like Oraons, Santhals, Mundas, Kharias, Bhumij, Gonds, and Sawras are considered one of the most backward communities in Assam. A long time ago, their ancestors came from the Chotanagpur plateau to work in the tea estates of Assam. The British first brought the tea garden workers from places like Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal in the mid-19th century, and they eventually settled down in Assam.

Now, these workers are known as tea and ex-tea garden tribes, and the government sees them as Other Backward Classes (OBC). They are a significant part of the population in the state and play a significant role in tea production, contributing to about 53% of the total tea made in the country.

Even though they are crucial to tea production, these communities face economic challenges, and their education levels are very low. Because of these difficulties, they are asking to be officially recognized as Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the state of Assam. If they get this recognition, it could bring them more help and chances to make their lives better

Also Read-