The Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations, Assam (CCTOA), on Thursday held a key consultation with Assam Tribal Affairs (Plains) Minister Ranoj Pegu on the contentious issue of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six more communities in the state.
Confirming the discussions, Tribal Affairs Minister Pegu later wrote on social media, stating, “As per the Assam Cabinet’s decision of 30 November 2025, I met today at Janata Bhawan with the Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations, Assam (CCTOA) to discuss the Group of Ministers’ report on granting ST status to six communities. I explained the recommendations given by the GoM and the measures proposed to safeguard the rights of existing Scheduled Tribes.”
“I requested CCTOA to read chapters five and six of the report together. CCTOA informed us that, based on our clarifications, they will form an expert committee and submit their report within a month.
The meeting, held at Janata Bhawan here, marks the beginning of an intensive month-long dialogue that could influence major policy decisions in the state.
Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, CCTOA Chief Coordinator Aditya Khakhlari and ABSU president Dipen Boro said the organisation had submitted a detailed set of recommendations and objections to the ministerial team.
“The Minister listened to our concerns and elaborated on the contents of the Group of Ministers (GoM) report. We have sought one month’s time to study the document thoroughly before providing our feedback,” Khakhlari said.
The CCTOA Chief Coordinator further confirmed that a second round of discussions with the GoM would be held after a month, during which CCTOA would engage Bodo intellectuals, legal experts, former MLAs and MPs to arrive at a comprehensive position on the issue.
“After the next round of talks, we will also seek meetings with the Chief Minister and the Union Home Minister,” he said.
Khakhlari reiterated that the rights, safeguards and opportunities of existing Scheduled Tribe communities must not be diluted under any circumstances.
The coordination committee, which is an umbrella body of 26 tribal groups of Assam, also raised concerns about the wider implications of the proposed move, particularly in areas such as national-level examinations, higher education admissions and government recruitment.
It may be noted that the consultation with the minister comes in the wake of the Assam Cabinet’s decision on November 30, 2025, to examine the GoM report recommending ST status for six additional communities in the state.
