Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Former Assam MLA Samarjit Haflongbar is pushing for a formal review of plans to grant Scheduled Tribe (Hills) status to Karbi people living in the state's plain districts. He filed a formal representation with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Haflongbar worries about the demographic and legal consequences for the Sixth Schedule hill districts of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong. He seeks to protect existing tribal rights.
The current ST(H) population stands between 5.5 and 6.3 lakh. Including the 4 lakh Karbis from the plains would shift that math significantly. Haflongbar warned the government about the dilution of existing protections. "If such a substantial population is added to the existing ST(H) pool without increasing the reservation percentage, the competition for the existing 5% reservation in education and Government employment would increase considerably," he stated.
He is calling for a hike in the reservation cap from 5% to 10% if the plan moves forward. Any change must follow Article 342 of the Constitution of India. Haflongbar insisted that no single council should hold the power to alter the tribal list. He demanded a joint consultation between the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. The former lawmaker wants full transparency on demographic data. He maintained his stance is not about opposing any specific tribe, but about ensuring equitable constitutional justice for everyone involved.
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