Adivasi, tea garden voters to shift allegiance

STAFF CORRESPONDENT DIBRUGARH, Jan 8 – All controversies and doubts over floating a separate political party by the tea-and ex-tea garden dependants are over, as the influential organisations from the community confirmed on Wednesday and reiterated the need for a new political group, asserting that they would go ahead with what was resolved recently during the Adivasi Mahasabha at Bishwanath Chariali. Paying least attention to criticism, disapproval and rebelliousness by a handful of influential leaders, a conglomerate body of some 12 powerful organisations from the community insisted that they would field at least five candidates in the ensuing LS polls. It would mean that the tea and ex tea garden dependants, who had been the traditional vote banks of the ruling government for long, would now cast their vote for the new political wing, which would be named officially at Guwahati on January 30. These communities, as claimed, accounts to nearly 70 lakh in population. The organisations at the forefront include All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA), Adivasi Mahasabha, Munda Samaj, Munda Sabha, Kharia Samaj, Kuruk Samaj, Santal Samaj and Ghatowar Samaj. A few names doing the rounds for Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Mangoldoi and Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituencies are Asas Sandi Guria, Joseph Kandulna, Justin Lakra and Francis Dhan respectively. As a former vice principal of a higher secondary school and a well known figure among the Adivasis in Lakhimpur, Joseph Kandulna is the principal of Emmanuel College, Tezpur, while Justin Lakra is the present president of AASAA, Francis Dhan, an ex catholic priest is a well known social activist among the Adivasis and tea garden workers. Even though, no decision has been taken on the Kaliabor LS seat, leaders engaged in the poll plan disclosed that Boloram Nag, a probable nominee of People’s Democratic Front (PDF) could be supported. The leaders of different organisations of the community have pledged not to give up and said they would fight to the finish. “All successive governments in the State and at the Centre have failed to recognise our problems. The Adivasis and the so-called tea tribes have been neglected at all fronts. Hence, we are determined to assert our rights politically”, Wilfred Topno, president of the Adivasi Mahasabha told this correspondent. source: assam tribune