ADIVASI TRIBALS IN ASSAM AGITATE; STATE CONGRESS GOVERNMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000383

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV ASEC PREF IN
SUBJECT: ADIVASI TRIBALS IN ASSAM AGITATE; STATE CONGRESS GOVERNMENT
IN A BIND

REF: KOLKATA 0361


1. (SBU) Summary: Assam's "tea tribes" or Adivasis have
increased their protests and agitations to pressure the state
and national governments for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status under
the Indian Constitution. In recent weeks, members of the
Adivasi community have organized a violent rally in Guwahati,
Assam and claimed responsibility for a train blast on December

13. Native Assamese tribal groups, such as the Bodos, have
warned the Congress-led state government against including more
communities in the ST list and the tea tribes continue to face
ethnic discrimination in Assam. The Congress party counts on
the tea tribes as a stable vote bank but the Bodo party is also
a part of the Congress-led coalition government. The Congress
is struggling to accommodate both groups in anticipation of the
December Panchayat (village council) elections. The Congress'
predicament may create window for the newly-formed Muslim party,
the Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF),to step into the
political limelight. End Summary.

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Tribals, But Not Natives
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2. (U) The tea tribes or Adivasis continue to face ethnic
discrimination in Assam. In the 19th century, British tea
planters brought the Adivasis to Assam from the Jharkhand region
as indentured servants to work in the tea fields. Over the
course of two centuries, they settled in and around the tea
gardens, as cultivators and as household help in Assamese homes.
The 3.5 million Adivasis continue to be socially segregated
from the mainstream Assamese society. During the 1990s, the
Adivasis in the Bodoland Territorial Council area suffered the
brunt of "ethnic cleansing" violence when the Bodoland tribal
movement was at its peak. Many Adivasis, who were displaced by
Bodo violence, continue to live in relief camps in Kokrajhar.
In response to continued discrimination and violence, the
Adivasis formed the Adivasi National Liberation Army (ANLA) in
late 2006. The group is believed to have a strength of 70-80
active militants.

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The Politics of Tribal Status
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3. (U) Apart from the specific legal criteria, the problem of
determining which groups are tribal is both subtle and complex.
The President of India and state governors have the authority to
compile a list of castes and tribes under the Indian
Constitution and may edit the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe
(SC/ST) list as necessary. However, economic interests and
voting blocs make the SC/ST issue controversial. The SC/ST
benefits awarded to Scheduled Tribes, such as reservations in
schools and government jobs, have convinced many groups that
they will enjoy greater advantages if so designated. Critics
state that groups who have lost their "tribal" characteristics
and have entered into mainstream society should not retain their
scheduled tribe status. The SC/ST list is also state specific,
meaning that a member of Scheduled Tribe is eligible for
benefits in his state of origin only. While a scheduled tribe
in Jharkhand, the tea tribes or Adivasis are non-native to Assam
and so are not listed on the Assam ST list. The Adivasis in
Assam maintain that they remain cut off from mainstream Assamese
society, still retain their tribal characteristics and so should
be included on the Assam ST list.

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A Shift to Violence and Protest in Assam
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4. (U) In November, the All Assam Adivasi Students Union (AAASU)
organized a violent rally in Guwahati, Assam, to demand
Scheduled Tribe (ST) status (reftel). Local residents
retaliated and the situation spiraled out of control before the
police arrived. One person died, scores of people were injured
and one Adivasi woman was stripped naked by a local. On
December 10, Assam police arrested six Adivasi militants
following reports that the Adivasi National Liberation Army
(ANLA) was planning a reprisal for the stripping of the Adivasi
girl on November 24. On December 13, the ANLA claimed
responsibility for a bomb blast on the Delhi-bound Rajdhani

KOLKATA 00000383 002 OF 002


Express train, passing through Assam's Golaghat district. The
blast killed five and injured four others.

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A Pan-Tribal Identity
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5. (U) Prominent Jharkhand leaders Arjun Munda, Babulal Marandi
and Shibu Soren visited Assam to show solidarity with the tea
tribe Adivasis, who are ethnically and culturally similar to the
Jharkhand tribals. Bandhs (general strikes) by Adivasis in
Assam and Jharkhand helped to highlight the issue in both states
as well as reinforced the goal of national tribal unity. Former
Chief Ministers Munda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and
Marandi of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) criticized Assam's
Congress government for the present situation. Tribal
organizations in Jharkhand have threatened to launch an economic
blockade if the GOI refuses to grant ST status to Assam's
Adivasis.

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Tribal Politics affect Local Elections
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6. (U) Assam Panchayat elections are scheduled for the beginning
of the new year (December 31 to January 9). The state's ruling
Congress party has traditionally counted on the tea tribes as a
stable vote bank but has done little to improve their lot. As
the Adivasis now demand ST status, ST groups in Assam, such as
the Bodos, have warned the government against including more
communities in the ST list. The All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS),
the state's main native tribal body, is worried that including
more groups on the ST list will reduce the native tribals' piece
of the reservation pie. The AATS has spoken out against
expanding the ST list and declared that granting ST status to
more groups will threaten the interests and political rights of
the existing tribal population in Assam. The six communities in
Assam seeking ST status include the Tai Ahom, the Muttock, the
Moran, the Chutia, the Koch Rajbongshi and the Adivasis. The
state government is in favor of bringing in these communities
into the ST list, but remains fearful of a strong reaction --
political and violent -- from native tribal groups.

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Muslim Politics
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7. (U) The Congress-led coalition government in Assam depends
upon the Hagrama Mahilary faction of the Bodo People's
Progressive Front (BPPF-H). The BPPF-H has voiced its
opposition to increasing the number of ST tribes in Assam. In
order to stay in power, the Congress cannot afford to lose their
support, a likely event if the Adivasis are granted ST status.
On the other hand, the tea tribes control or influence the poll
verdict in at least 20 of Assam's 126 Assembly constituencies
and traditionally vote Congress.


8. (SBU) A political analyst suggested that Muslim leader
Badruddin Ajmal could use the Adivasi issue to his advantage to
increase his party's influence in the state. Under continued
pressure, Congress may be forced to grant special status to
Adivasis. This move would upset the BPPF-H, which would
withdraw its support from the government. In order to stay in
power, the Congress will need to turn to other political allies
such as Ajmal's Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF). The AUDF
would thus become a critical coalition partner and could use
that political leverage to promote its own pro-Muslim agenda
within the state.


9. (SBU) Comment: Folding to political pressure, the
Congress-led Assam government will probably grant the Adivasis
ST status, even if the community may not be traditionally
defined as such. In case an annoyed BPPF-H decides to withdraw
its support, Congress Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi may be
compelled to depend on the AUDF for his political survival.
This native/non-native tribe showdown might increase the Muslim
AUDF's influence on Assam's state politics as the Congress
struggles to maintain control of the coalition government.
JARDINE