NEW DELHI:
Seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personnel intervention for an early delimitation exercise in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland, the North East Students’ Federation on Delimitation (NESFOD) staged a mass rally in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister Office on August 12.
NESFOD coordinator, Ngilyang Reela, said that pursuant to the Delimitation Act 2002, the delimitation exercises in the whole country have already been completed more than a decade back in 2008 except in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.
“The delimitation process in the four North East states was put on hold by the Presidential Ordinance in 2008 in the mere pretext of prevailing law and order situations in these Northeastern states,” Reela said.
The NESFOD said that the people of these four states were delighted when in March 2020 the Government of India constituted a Delimitation Commission, under the Chairmanship of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, for the four North East states along with Jammu & Kashmir.
“Unfortunately, our hope was short lived as the government withdrew its 2020 notification vide another notification dated 3rd March 2021 without assigning any reason. Whereas, the delimitation exercise in Jammu & Kashmir has since been completed yet the people of these four North East states have been compelled to continue to wait till date for no fault of theirs,” the NESFOD said.
They have also submitted similar memorandum to the Union Home Minister, Law & Justice Minister and Election Commission.
The student federation said that the very basis for withholding delimitation exercise in these four North East states, on account of non-prevailing ‘conducive situation’ is totally based on misconception and is highly deplorable.
“Law and order being a state subject, it is the duty of the States concerned to maintain law and order and peaceful atmosphere in the state,” NESOID in its memorandum submitted to the PMO.