Dibrugarh: Members of the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) took out a procession in Dibrugarh on Monday to the district commissioner’s office to press for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Adivasi community, a wage hike for tea garden workers and land rights for those living in gardens and rural areas.The procession moved through city roads and ended at the DC office. AASAA members later submitted a memorandum to Dibrugarh district commissioner Bikram Kairi, addressed to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, demanding ST status for Adivasis, a daily wage of Rs 551 for tea garden workers against the current Rs 280 and land pattas for Adivasi people residing in tea gardens and rural areas.“We have hit the streets today because our basic demands remain unresolved despite years of assurances. ST status, fair wages and secure land rights are essential for the socio-economic security of Adivasi people in Assam,” said AASAA secretary of Dibrugarh district unit Mithu Raaj Kisku.The demand for ST recognition has a long history. Adivasis were brought to Assam’s tea plantations during the colonial period from present-day Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The association said that while the community has ST status in their states of origin, their descendants in Assam continue to be denied the same recognition.The organisation also cited the BJP’s 2026 Assam Assembly election manifesto (Sankalp Patra), which promised to raise the minimum daily wage of tea garden workers to Rs 500 in a phased manner and reiterated the party’s assurance to grant ST status to Adivasis and other indigenous communities.AASAA leaders urged the govt to implement the commitments within a defined timeframe. They also referred to a similar promise made by BJP in 2014 that has not been fulfilled. “Election promises must translate into policy decisions. Promises have been made and repeated at every election since 2014. We are still waiting,” an AASAA leader said.
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