Tai Ahom community stages rally, threatens BJP poll boycott over ST status

Dibrugarh: Thousands of Tai Ahom community members took out a massive torch rally in Moran town, Dibrugarh district, on Tuesday evening, intensifying their demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The demonstration, organised by prominent Tai Ahom organisations including the Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad, Assam (TAYPA) and the All Tai Ahom Students' Union (ATASU), saw protesters marching with flaming torches through the town while raising slogans of “No ST, No Rest.”The protest reflects growing frustration within the community over what they consider the ruling BJP government's failure to honour a commitment made more than a decade ago.

TAYPA president Diganta Tamuly delivered a stark warning ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, threatening that the Tai Ahom community would boycott the BJP if their longstanding demand remains unaddressed.“For over a decade since 2014, 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 party will face severe backlash,” Tamuly declared during the rally.The controversy stems from BJP’s 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign promise, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to grant ST status to six Assam communities — Tai Ahoms, Mottocks, Koch Rajbongshis, Chutias, Morans, and Tea Tribes. Despite multiple assurances over the years, none of these communities have been included in the ST list.The political stakes are substantial. The Tai Ahoms, whose ancestors ruled Assam for six centuries under the Ahom dynasty commands significant electoral influence across upper Assam, especially in districts like Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, and Lakhimpur. Political observers acknowledge that the community’s voting patterns can decisively swing election results in numerous assembly constituencies throughout these districts.With the 2026 assembly elections on the horizon, BJP now confronts a critical challenge. The party must address this decade-old promise or face the prospect of alienating a substantial vote bank that has historically backed them in upper Assam’s electorally vital constituencies. The torch rally in Moran served as a powerful reminder to the ruling BJP that the community’s patience is wearing thin, and political consequences await if action is not taken soon.