NE tribal groups gear up for Statehood movement
Source: The Sangai Express / Courtesy- IANS
Guwahati, July 09 2016 :
Backed by the National
Federation of New States
(NFNS), a few ethnic groups of
Assam and other parts of the
North Eastern region � the
Bodos, Karbis, Kokborok and
the Kukis � have chalked out a
strategy to intensify their
struggle for Statehood jointly.
The representatives of the
Bodos, Karbis, Kokborok
and the Kukis have floated
the northeast chapter of
NFNS here and said they
would intensify their agitation
for separate States jointly.
"Before coming to power
at the Centre in 2014, the BJP
had assured to 'sympatheti-
cally examine and appro-
priately consider' the long
standing demands of the
Bodos and other tribals.
However, although the Gov-
ernment at the Centre had
completed two years in of-
fice, nothing was done in this
regard," said All-Bodo Stu-
dents' Union President
Promod Boro on Saturday.
"The movements for creat-
ing new states of Bodoland,
Vidarbha, Karbi Anglong,
Bundelkhand, Gorkhaland,
Kukiland and Tripuraland are
some of the glaring examples
of these communities' strug-
gle to protect and safeguard
their ethnic identities, which
are under threat due to exter-
nal aggression," he said
adding that these movements
have been continuing as the
recommendations of the State
reorganisation committee of
the Central Government are
not sufficient to address their
grievances.
"We have joined hands
with the NFNS to boost the
struggle for our separate
Statehood demand.
We are
going to organise a mass rally
in Guwahati on August 15,
and from September 1 we are
going to sit in indefinite hun-
ger strike," he said adding
that all they want is a solution
to their demand without vio-
lence and bloodshed.
"The Statehood demand of
these smaller communities are
legitimate, considering the
history of the country.
The
Article 1 of the Constitution
clearly says that India is a
union of States.
This implies
that it is well within the juris-
diction of the Constitution to
create new states," said
Swapnajit Sanyal, Working
President of the Vidarbha
Rajya Aghadi and central ex-
ecutive member of NFNS.
"The Government of India
held rounds of talks with us
on the demand for creation of
separate state for Karbi Anglong.
However, nothing happened.
We would restart
the agitation and we are not going to stop until we achieve a Karbi
Anglong state under Article 244A of the Constitution," said
Khorsing Teron, Chairman of the Joint Action Committee for
Autonomous State (JACAS).
Similarly, Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) said
nothing was done by the governments at the Centre to create
a separate state for the Kukis in Manipur.
"Although the first
memorandum was given to the central government in 1969,
the aspirations of the Kuki people are yet to be fulfilled," said
Hejang Haokip.
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