GUWAHATI:
Kuki community leaders, on August 4, reiterated their demand for a Kuki Regional Autonomous Council within the ambit of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), 11 months after the signing of a peace accord between the Union government and five extremist groups from Assam’s Karbi Anglong.
“30,000 Kuki people living in various parts of Karbi Anglong have no representation, neither in Assam Legislative Assembly nor in the KAAC. We are lagging behind with poverty and underdevelopment for the past 75 years of independence,” said Kuki National Assembly (KNA) president Seikholen Haokip, while addressing a press conference at Dispur Press Club.
Notably on September 4, 2021, the Central government signed a peace accord with five insurgent groups of Karbi Anglong in New Delhi in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. But the Kukis were not part of this agreement.
“We were not included in the agreement, we have raised the issue before the Union home minister and our chief minister several times,” Haokip said.
“The number of MAC (Member of Autonomous Constituency) will go up from 26 to 45 if the agreement is implemented. However, the Kuki community will have no representation in the council,” Haokip added.
“After the 2021 council elections, the state government has nominated four persons as nominated MAC of the council. Usually, the nominated MACs should be taken from unrepresented communities. But our community was not taken into consideration,” said Hechon Sitlhou, former president of KNA.
Sitlhou informed that chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier assured them to nominate one representative in the council as nominated MAC, but the words were not kept.
“We have also demanded reservation of two MAC seats for the Kuki community in the council. But this demand was also sidelined. At present we have no political guardian,” he further said.
Sitlhou said that this situation has forced the groups to demand a Kuki Regional Autonomous Council within the ambit of the KAAC under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.