DIPHU, July 24 - The National Federation for New States (NFNS) has demanded immediate implementation of Autonomous State under Article 244(A) of the Constitution of India both for the people of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.
While interacting with mediapersons here on Monday, Munish Tamang, Professor of Delhi University and general secretary of the National Federation for New States (NFNS) said that 244(A) in the Constitution of India is legally valid and accordingly the Government of India should treat the subject as a national issue.
Tamang said that demand for new arrangement such as autonomous State is not something new to India, but is enshrined in the Constitution of India. He said that all the demands for new States are constitutional, legal and morally correct and has been a long-standing demand for these regions.
He further said that movements for new States are not concentrated in one particular region of India, but is spread all over India and hence it is constitutionally valid and a long-standing aspiration of the people of India.
The NFNS leader said, adding that the demand for implementation of Article 244 (A) of the Constitution of India should not be seen as an isolated case of some people from Karbi Anglong or Bodoland. It should not be seen as an isolated story of India.
Tamang said, �We (NFNS) believe that the Government of India should treat it as a national issue just as they treat development for all regions of India with the approach of �Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas.�
The NFNS leader further said that they have confidence or believe in democracy, and the mark of democracy is for people to have self-representational aspirations. NFNS believes that all the State demand movements that are taking place in various parts of India, including the demand for autonomous State in this region, are essentially about the desire to represent oneself.
�We want to represent ourselves through elected bodies, through administrative systems in which the destiny of the region and its people are in their own hands. That is why we support all these new State movements as democratic exercise,� Tamang said.
The Chairman of JACAS, Khorsing Teron said that their organisation too was a part of the NFNS and admitted receiving support on the issue of Autonomous State demand.
Teron added that JACAS has been spearheading the movement since 2013, during which four rounds of tripartite talks had already been held with the Central and State governments.
He claimed of putting their best efforts for resumption of talks for which they sought the support of NFNS, whose main objective is to move the GoI to adopt a national policy so that all the demands from different regions can be addressed nationally,� Teron said.
During the interaction, the vice-chairman of the Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS), Saising Rongpi, Stalyn Engti, covenor Samsing Hanse, KSA president Bijoy Bey, KSYC president Prakash Terang and KSU president George Timung were also present.
