Tai Ahoms protest in Sivasagar over unfulfilled ST status demand
Waving placards and shouting slogans, the demonstrators marched through the town before being stopped by heavy police barricades near the DC's office. Tensions flared as protestors attempted to push through the blockade, leading to brief scuffles with security personnel.
Leading the agitation, TAYPA president Diganta Tamuly issued a warning to the ruling BJP govt ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
"For over a decade, we have waited for the BJP to fulfill its promise of granting ST status to the Tai Ahom community.
We will not tolerate this betrayal any longer. If our demands are not met soon, the Tai Ahoms will boycott the BJP in the 2026 Assembly polls. The BJP has banked on Ahom support in past elections. If they fail to act now, they will face a major backlash," Tamuly said.
The BJP had pledged ST status for six Assam communities — Tai Ahoms, Mottocks, Koch Rajbongshis, Sooteas, Morans, and Tea Tribes — during PM Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign.
However, the Tai Ahoms, who ruled Assam for six centuries under the Ahom dynasty and the five other groups remain excluded from the ST list despite repeated assurances.
The demands presented by TAYPA extend beyond ST status recognition. The organisation is pushing for the establishment of an autonomous council specifically for the Tai Ahom community, which would provide them with greater administrative control over their affairs.
Perhaps most ambitiously, they are calling for the creation of "Ahomland" — a separate territorial entity comprising areas with significant Ahom populations.
"The Tai Ahom community holds significant electoral influence in upper Assam, particularly in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts. Alienating them would cost the BJP dearly in 2026," the TAYPA leader added.
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