Assam: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren backs Adivasi rights struggle
Guwahati: Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM president Hemant Soren has intensified the political discourse around Assam’s Adivasi community with a pointed statement on X on Monday evening. His remarks linked colonial-era exploitation, ongoing denial of rights, and a call for collective resistance, striking at the heart of the tea-growing belt.
“I went to Assam yesterday. Assam is a state where the British, using the power of the gun, brought people from Jharkhand and Odisha to work in tea plantations. Today, those people are fighting for their identity and their rights. The indigenous people living there don’t have the rights and status of indigenous people. How can there be two kinds of identity within our own country, India? The Adivasis are the original inhabitants of India. There, the government is also subjecting the Adivasis to torture. I have said that we stand with your struggle, and if needed, we will bring the Adivasis of the entire Jharkhand to Assam and help them,” Soren said.
His remarks followed the conclusion of the 21st Adivasi Mahasabha, held over four days at the Dehing–Patkai Sports Project Playground in Tinsukia district. The event drew over two lakh Adivasis from Assam, the Northeast, and other parts of the country, making it one of the largest tribal gatherings in recent years.
Addressing the open session as chief guest, Soren launched a sharp critique of the central government, branding it a “trader government.” He accused authorities of denying the Adivasi community—despite their central role in Assam’s tea industry—basic rights, including land ownership, educational opportunities, and political recognition. He stressed that only sustained unity and struggle could ensure justice for the community.
With Assam Assembly elections expected later this year, likely around Rongali Bihu, Soren’s intervention is being viewed as more than an act of solidarity. Analysts suggest it signals a calibrated political message, with the potential to reshape alliances, consolidate Adivasi sentiment, and trigger broader cross-state mobilisation with electoral implications extending beyond the Mahasabha grounds.