Rongpi meets Advani
Karbi demo in Delhi

Karbi leaders are sore with the BJP and the Congress alike and accuse the two parties of playing divisive politics.

The Karbi demand has reached the nation’s capital. The champions of Karbi-Dimanchal Autonomous State, comprising the present -Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills, under Article-244(A) of the Constitution held two-day hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on April 23 and 24.. They presented a memo to the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Union Minister for North East.

The demo was the brainchild of North Cachar Hills Autonomous State Demand Committee (KANCHASDCOM) and Karbi Students Association (KSA) along with Karbi So-Arlo Amel, Karbi Riso Adorbar, and Karbi Adorbar, Dimasa National Council (DNC).

Their memo makes out a coherent case. Says the memo:

"The Article-244(A) was created solely for the present two Hills District of Assam in 1971 under the North Eastern Areas Reorganization Act, 1971. The Centre is responsive to the Hill peoples’ long standing demand for creation of an Autonomous State within the State of Assam, and for this it arranged two round of ministerial level talks and two rounds of talks at the official level in New Delhi".

"Our demand has been corroborated by the resolutions adopted by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council in their 184th session on November 22, 2002 and by the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council on November 25, 2002. Due to non-implementation of this very Article 244(A), some extremist activities and other unexpected problems have raised their head and thus the once most peaceful and violence free Hills Districts, not only in Assam but in the entire north east has now become the most trouble torn pocket".

"We are for solution to the extremists problems through peaceful means. We will continue our mass movement in a democratic and non-violent way till our goal is achieved".

Karbi leaders are sore with the BJP and Congress alike and accuse the two parties of playing divisive politics. Members of the Karbi Autonomous Council and Karbi legislators members met and took the Congress Government in Dispur and the BJP-led government in New Delhi for "playing a dangerous game of ethnic divide in the hills of the State" by agreeing to Clause 8 of the BTC Accord.

This is a conspiracy to deprive and deny the Sixth Schedule autonomy granted exclusively to the Karbi, Dimasa and other indigenous tribals of Karbi Anglong and N C Hills, they said.

Clause 8 of the BTC Accord states that the Centre has agreed to consider sympathetically the inclusion of the Bodo Kacharis living in Karbi Anglong and N C Hills Autonomous Council areas in the Scheduled Tribes (hill) list of Assam.

Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) MLAs Dharamsing Teron and Jagat Sing Ingti opine "the recent communal violence involving the Dimasa and Hmar tribals has amply demonstrated the sensitivity of the ethnic balance in the Assam hills".

Unlike in the other NE states, they said, in Assam the scheduled tribe (ST) population were sub-categorized as ST (hills) and ST (plains). As per the clause, they said, the Bodos as ST (plains) enjoying 7.5 per cent reservation in the State were now liable to enjoy even the 5 per cent ST (hills) reservation.

"The attempts by the Union and state governments to twist the constitutional provisions of the Sixth Schedule to accommodate the Bodos belonging to the ST(plains) category is nothing but a sinister design to destroy the ethnic balance of the hill districts and undermine the constitutional rights of the hills tribes", they alleged.

The ASDC legislators and members of the Autonomous Council also view the Clause 8 as a measure to undo the meagre reservation so far enjoyed by the hill tribe. It also sought to confer a double reservation benefit to the Bodos, they alleged. ".

The Bodos, majority of whom are living in the plains and are enjoying ST(plains) status should be recognized as such and the same benefit should be extended to those Bodos living in the hill areas, they said, adding, similarly the Karbis, Dimasas and Garos living in the plains should be conferred ST(hills) status.

On giving proper right to the Bodos living in the hills, these leaders said this issue could be resolved only by evolving a policy acceptable to all.

Meanwhile, Dr Jayanta Rongpi, the CPI(ML), MP representing Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills in the Lok Sabha met Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani in his Parliament office and apprised him about the alarming situation arising out of Clause 8 of BLT Accord.
                    
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