Assam floats new council in interest of six tribes

Guwahati, Dec 10 (UNI) The Assam Government today floated a new concept of development council for six tribes of the state following their demand of reservations.

Addressing a press conference here, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi informed there would be six development councils for the six tribes-- Moran, Muttack, Adivasi, Tai-Ahom, Koch Raj-Bongshis and Chutia.

These smaller ethnic communities had been staging violent demonstrations against the government since the past few months.

''We are concerned with development and will meet the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister in this regard. An all party delegation led by the Speaker is in New Delhi today to demand reservation for these communities. In case of any technical problem, the technical committee constituted will solve it,'' he informed.

He, however, did not elaborate on the kind of constitutional status of these development councils.

''These are now in conceptual stage. A cabinet sub-committee under the Chairmanship of the Labour Minister Prithivi Majhi will look into the matter,'' he said.

''The expert committee will see how much benefit the development council can extract from the government and how much we can actually give to the councils'' he said.

Asked on the violence in the Rabha Autonomous Councils opposing the Panchayat Poll, Mr Gogoi said the polls would be held.

''We can not stop democracy but we will look into their grievances,'' he said.

He also blamed the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) of not doing anything for the reservation of these communities during their regime.

''Instead, they are misleading the people. We will soon publish a white paper enlisting what actually we had done for reservation and what the AGP had done in the past,'' he added.

UNI