10 NE Autonomous Councils to hold sit-In at Jantar Mantar seeking more powers & funds

New Delhi, Nov 21: Ten autonomous district councils from the Northeast formed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India on Thursday urged the Central government to improve their financial resources and administrative power.

The 10 autonomous councils – Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, Tripura Tribal Area District Council, Khasi Hill Autonomous District Council, Jaintia Hill Autonomous District Council, Garo Autonomous District Council, Lai Autonomous District Council, Mara Autonomous District Council, Chakma Autonomous District Council – will stage a sit-in demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Friday in support of their demands.

Attending a national seminar organized by the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) in New Delhi, leaders from the 10 councils sought amendment of Article 280 and the Sixth Schedule as per the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019 which could improve the financial resources and administrative power of the councils.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, ABSU president Dipen Boro said, “Apart from these demands, we also demand time-bound speedy implementation of the Bodo Accord, 2020.”

Boro said that if the Central government does not take the initiative for passing of the Bill in the winter session of the Parliament, they will start an agitation. “We want peace. But if the Central government does not listen to us, we will again come to the streets,” the ABSU president said.

Echoing this view, former BTR chief Pramod Boro said that there should be time-bound implementation of all clauses of the Bodo Accord.

“It has been more than six years since the Bill was introduced in the Parliament, and several important clauses of the Bodo Peace Accord have not yet been implemented. The government should take initiative for their early implementation so that peace prevails in the region,” said Boro.

It is worth mentioning that the Rajya Sabha on February 19, 2019 referred the Bill to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, then headed by Anand Sharma.

The committee visited Guwahati and Shillong to conduct deliberations with tribal organizations and stakeholders of the Northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, and after a comprehensive study, submitted a report on May 4, 2020.

The committee suggested many key administrative and financial reforms to the existing Sixth Schedule councils.

However, on the amendment of Article 280, the committee observed that direct funding of autonomous councils by the Centre will be against the existing constitutional schemes and may also adversely affect the relations of district councils with the State governments.

Following years of agitation, the BTR accord was signed in 2020 among the ABSU and different other Bodo groups, and the Central and Assam governments.

The accord aims to augment the area and power of the BTC along with financial and administrative powers for more autonomy and creation of a Boro-Kachari welfare autonomous council outside the Sixth Schedule and ST (Hills) status to the Boro-Kachari people living in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.

As part of the accord implementation, a review tripartite discussion of the joint monitoring committee (JMC) is held every 6 months to discuss the progress of implementation of the accord.

“At least more than 12 rounds of JMC discussions at official and unofficial levels were held in the last five years in the presence of the Union Home Secretary, Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary, MHA... We have met the Union Home Minister more than 6 times, and the State Home Minister, urging them to pass the Bill but nothing has happened,” said Dipen Boro.

By

A Correspondent