GUWAHATI, May 31 � A three-day 8th Adivasi Mahasabha was organised by the All Adivasi Students� Association of Assam (AASAA) at the ITI Field, Mazbat in Udalguri from May 27 to 29, a press release received via e-mail said. The two-day delegates� session was attended by 436 delegates from the districts of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Chirang, Baksa, Kamrup, Morigaon, Nagaon, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Udalguri.
The two-day delegates� session discussed the issue of child labour, exploitation in the tea gardens, education, health, sports, culture and ST status. Hiru Bagdi, a scholar from Bongaigaon and the central advisor of AASAA, facilitated the session.
The open session began with a cultural rally flagged off by Charan Bodo, chairman of TCLCC (Territorial Constituency Level Coordinator Committee), Udalguri. Over 15,000 people from 17 districts of Assam participated in it. The open session was presided over by the Raphael Kujur, president AASAA and attended by Wilfred Topno, the president of Adivasi Sahitya Sabha, Assam, Justin Lakra, the founder president of the AASAA and the other dignitaries were Mitharam Basumatary, Executive Member, BTC, Rakheswar Brahma, the MLA of Mazbat.
The speakers stressed on the rights of Adivasis allegedly denied by the Government and tea management for a long time. Topno raised the demand of proper working conditions for the people working in the tea gardens, their wages and other rights which are allegedly being systematically denied by the ruling governments. Justin Lakra, the founder president of AASAA, requested the Adivasi community to come together to fight for the injustice done to the community in every sphere of life. �The demands will be met by the Government only when we are united and our representatives are there in the Assembly to raise the issues of the community.�
Rakheshwar Brahma assured that he would raise the demand of the Adivasis in the Assam Assembly. He said he is with the Adivasi community in their long time struggle of Scheduled Tribe status.
Resolutions regarding demand in the increase of daily wages to Rs 200/- in tea gardens, working time table in tea gardens should be from 9am to 4.30 pm like any other industry, Miyadikaran of Adivasi land in Assam and especially in the BTAD, provincialisation of tea garden schools, education to every Adivasi of Assam, declaration of Mazbat as subdivision in Udalguri district, the next, i.e. 9th Adivasi Mahasabha will be organised on January 20, 21and 22 in Baksa district, the Mahasabha demanded that within a week the Bosco Chermako murder case to be handed over to CBI, and the annual conference will be held in November at Lakhimpur and the new central executive committee will be formed on November 14 and 15, 2011 were taken the release added.
