GUWAHATI:
With just two months to go for the elections to 26 seats of Assam’s Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), the All Party Hills Leaders Conference (APHLC) has demanded the removal of names of non-tribal voters registered with the council.
Asserting that names of non-tribal voters be struck off from the list so that genuine members of the council can cast their votes, members of the APHLC staged a sit-in dharna at Samson Sing Ingti Memorial Park on February 21.
During the protest, the park echoed with chants of various slogans such as “APHLC long live”, “BJP go back”, “RSS go back” and “Sixth Schedule long live”, among others.
The protestors also demanded the framing of new rules under para-2 (7) & 20 of the Sixth Schedule and the formation of the Autonomous Council Election Commission by rejecting the State Election Commission (SEC) for holding elections to KAAC.
APHLC spokesperson Angtong Engti said that despite the Gauhati High Court authorising KAAC to conduct council elections, the council still remains dependent on Assam State Election Commission for the polls.
“The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council led by the chief executive member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang has failed to honour the Gauhati High Court’s order to frame new rules for conducting elections to KAAC. It has been three years since the Gauhati High Court’s order directed KAAC to frame new rules for conducting elections. But till now, we have not seen such new rules being framed,” Engti said.
Stating that the Sixth Schedule Areas are not blinded by the provisions of SEC, he further asserted, “We need to know that the Assam State Election Commission was formed under the Panchayati Raj Act. In the Act, it is mentioned that in the whole of Assam, except the Sixth Schedule areas, the SEC will conduct elections. Despite Karbi Anglong being a Sixth Schedule district, the KAAC has given the authority to the SEC for conducting the election to KAAC,” Engti said.
Urging the KAAC to exercise the powers as mentioned in the Sixth Schedule, The APHLC spokesperson said, “KAAC should appoint only the hill tribe communities in Grade III and IV posts in all the departments under it. Traditional Village Council under para 3 sub-para 1 clause A of the 6th Schedule to the constitution of India should be constituted,” Engti added.