Sivsagar organisations send memo against delimitation

HT Correspondent

SIVASAGAR, Jan 12: Several organisations of Sivasagar have jointly petitioned the chief election commissioner of India, the Prime Minister of India, the Governor, and the chief minister of Assam on Thursday against withdrawing three Assembly constituencies from Upper Assam consisting of Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji and Tinsukia districts.

Through a demonstration in front of the deputy commissioner’s office, the leaders of the organisations Congress, Communist Party of India, ATASU, Raijor Dal, Asom Sena, Bir Lachit Sena, Brihattar Asomiya Yuva Mancha, AJYCP, Sadou Asom Ahom Sabha and many more have raised the objections to the delimitation move saying that it is part of the BJP’s hidden agenda to divide and destroy the indigenous communities’ socio-political rights.

The leaders – Pradip Gogoi, Kanak Gogoi, Nandeswari Gogoi, Basanta Gogoi, Debajit Dutta, Chitu Barua, Jayanta Rajkumar, Jintu Mech, Jadov Gogoi, Padma Chetia, Ranjit Tamuly, Md Alifur Rahman, Govin Phukan, Mrinal Kumar Chutia, Ankuran Phukan, and Krishna Gogoi through a memorandum stated that the previous election commissioners put on hold the delimitation process in the wake of the political situation prevailing in the country. But the present government has tried to make use of its political advantage to effect a delimitation that they feel is against the wishes and aspirations of the people of the affected region.

The parties demanded that the delimitation proves should be initiated in 2026 along with the rest of the states as per the provisions of the Delimitation Act.

Further, the parties opposing the delimitation said that the six communities of Assam have been waiting for a final declaration from the Centre on their demand for ST status and the delimitation process will adversely affect their democratic movement.

The indigenous groups living in Upper Assam namely the Misings, Mech Kacharies, Sonowals, Deories, Ahoms, Morans, Motoks, Chutias, and indigenous Muslims follow the population policy adopted by the government of India but the delimitation will break the traditional ethnic bonding among the local tribes which is against the CU charter on Indigenous People’s Rights, the parties said.