Political Participation of the Tea Tribes Community

The tea tribes community of Assam is one of the marginalized groups who have ever remained oppressed, dominated, deprived and discriminated in various aspects of their day-to-day life. The children of these communities are deprived of quality primary education as the tea garden schools fall between the cracks with neither the garden management nor the government playing an active role. With the size of the population being significant, the community has been a constant target of vote bank politics. There has also been a long struggle by the community to obtain the ST (Scheduled Tribes) status, as their brethren in their native states from where their ancestors had migrated have been enjoying ST status. In view of this, the present study analyses the mindset of the tea tribes community in the area of political decision-making, their commitment to the society as well as their interest in the present political process. The findings of the study are expected to help the government to involve the tea tribes people in decision-making process of the Government and the state. Besides, it will also be helpful for the scholars, researchers and social scientists.