GUWAHATI, Sept 21 - The Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisations of Assam has given a call of a 24-hour Assam bandh from 5 am of September 23 in protest against the alleged �design� of the BJP-led governments in the State and at the Centre as well to marginalise the existing tribal population of the State by according Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six ethnic groups.
Besides, the members of the partner organisations of the Coordination Committee will hold demonstrations at the district and subdivision headquarters of the State in the first week of October and will hold a rally in the city in October-end to register their opposition to the government move, stated a press release issued by the Coordination Committee here today.
It demanded of the State as well as the Central Government that they should discard their �anti-tribal� policy. Describing the move to accord ST status to the ethnic groups as contrary to the Constitution of the country, it reasoned that these groups do not fulfil the legal criteria to acquire the ST status.
