No ST Status, No Votes: AASAA Ultimatum to BJP Before 2026 Polls

Following a statewide call from the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), hour long sit-in protests were staged across Assam on Monday, with hundreds of Adivasi community members gathering in front of Deputy Commissioners’ offices in districts like Biswanath, Chirang, Kokrajhar, and Mushalpur. The protestors raised a strong chorus of demands, including Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, land pattas, caste certificates, and a hike in minimum wages for tea garden workers.

Organised as part of a broader series of demonstrations, the protests reflected deep-rooted frustrations over the continued socio-economic marginalisation of the Adivasi communities in Assam. Participants held placards, raised slogans such as "No ST, No Rest" and "ST Is Our Birthright," and delivered impassioned speeches criticising successive governments for their apathy.

The protesters demanded:

• Constitutional recognition of Adivasis as Scheduled Tribes (ST);
• Distribution of land ownership documents (land pattas) to Adivasi families;
• Issuance of proper caste certificates to all Adivasi sub-groups;
• Increase in the daily wage of tea garden workers to ₹551. combine thse three points and write ito a sermtemce

In Biswanath, AASAA district committee members led a vocal protest, reiterating the community’s decades-old demand for ST status. A key demand was the provision of land rights and housing for tea garden workers, many of whom live in vulnerable conditions without land titles, despite generations of contribution to Assam’s tea economy.

Speaking to reporters, a protester said, "Since 1996, we have been fighting for our rightful recognition as STs. It’s shameful that the government has continued to ignore our demands. If our voices are not heard before the 2026 Assembly elections, we will be forced to consider alternatives and vote accordingly."

Another protester recalled promises made by the BJP during the 2014 Lok Sabha and 2016 Assembly elections: "BJP candidates promised us ST status if they came to power. It's been 10 years, and those promises have turned into forgotten words. We say this directly to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, meet our demands or lose our support."

The protesters also highlighted the plight of Adivasi students who are deprived of reserved seats in higher education and government jobs due to the absence of ST status. Sub-groups such as Munda, Oraon, Santal, Savar, Sora, Paraja, Bhumij, and Kharwar continue to face bureaucratic hurdles in securing proper ethnic identity certificates, further blocking their access to affirmative action.

Leaders of AASAA’s Biswanath unit accused the state government of deliberately delaying the process, forcing the community back onto the streets. "We have waited long enough. The government has left us no choice but to agitate again,” one leader said. He also added that if the community’s demands are not met before the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections, the Adivasi people will stand firmly against the BJP-led government. The protesters urged the Assam government and its representatives to treat the matter with urgency and ensure that the issue is raised during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament in New Delhi.

With rising inflation and stagnant wages, tea garden workers have also demanded a revision of their daily wage to ₹551, aligning with earlier recommendations and cost-of-living estimates.

More such protests are expected across the state in the coming weeks, as AASAA and other Adivasi organisations prepare to intensify their movement for constitutional recognition and social justice.

In Chirang, the district unit of AASAA staged a demonstration at Kajalgaon, the district headquarters, on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering, AASAA Central Committee Vice President Sakkarias Soren issued a stern warning to the ruling BJP government. “If our demands are not fulfilled before the upcoming Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and Assam Legislative Assembly elections, the Adivasi community will oppose the BJP just as it once rejected the Congress for similar betrayals,” he said.

Another protester echoed the sentiment, stating, “If we are not granted ST status before the 2026 elections, we will bring down the BJP government the same way we ousted Congress. In the BTR region, we were promised land pattas by the Promod Boro-led government. But those promises remain unfulfilled. Some have received pattas, but many are still waiting. According to Chapter 10 of the Indian Constitution, we are a protected community and are entitled to land rights across Assam, including BTR. If our rights are ignored again, we will not hesitate to stand against Promod Boro in the next BTC elections.”

AASAA leaders in Chirang also announced plans to launch aggressive political campaigns against ruling parties in the region if their demands continue to be sidelined.

In Kokrajhar, the district unit of AASAA staged a similar three-hour protest at Mahatma Gandhi Udyan on Monday, in collaboration with the Khilonjiya Land Rights Protection Committee. The protest focused on ST recognition, distribution of land pattas, and protection of indigenous land rights.

One of the protesters strongly criticised the Assam government’s terminology and attitude: “The government continues to refer to us as the ‘tea community,’ ignoring the fact that we are distinct Adivasi sub-groups with our own indigenous identities. The AASAA leadership has previously met with government officials to discuss our rights, but no serious initiative has been taken. We are being used as a vote bank. A Santal should be recognised as a Santal. We demand that the rightful status of each Adivasi group be officially recognised without further delay.”

The protests drew significant attention from locals and highlighted growing unrest among the Adivasi population in Assam over what they call decades of broken promises and government neglect.

AASAA leaders made it clear that if the government continues to delay action, the protests will escalate in the coming weeks across Bodoland and the rest of Assam, as the organisation prepares for a larger state-wide mobilisation.

Also Read: Adivasi Groups Protest Against Land Allocation to 'Adani' in Assam’s Parbatjhora