HAFLONG, Sept 4 � To espouse the cause of a separate State for Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of India, a new organisation has been floated here under the name of the United People�s Forum for Separate State Movement (UPFSSM), a conglomeration of 27 different political and social organisations of Dima Hasao district. This was disclosed by the forum spokesperson, Jhon Phoitong, at a press conference held at a hotel on Monday.
The press meet was attended by Bahim Langthasa, president, UPFSSM, Aripom Bodo, general secretary, treasurer Tushar Kanti Dey and representatives of different communities. The forum also disclosed that on August 30, it submitted a memorandum to the Union Minister for Home Affairs through the Deputy Commissioner of Dima Hasao district.
The memorandum maintained that Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong are the only two autonomous hill districts of Assam. After Independence, the then hill districts of Assam, namely the Naga Hills, Khasi and Jaintia Hills, Garo Hills and Lushai Hills got separated one after another from Assam. The former Naga Hills district became the full-fledged State of Nagaland in 1962 and in 1972, the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills formed the Meghalaya State and in the same year, the Lushai Hills became a Union Territory and subsequently, a full-fledged State, Mizoram.
In 1960, when the All Party Hills Leaders� Conference (APHLC) was formed, the leaders of the then NC Hills and Mikir Hills, too, joined it. It was mainly on the demand of the APHLC that the State of Meghalaya was created. However, at the time of reorganisation of Assam in 1969 during the process of creation of the Meghalaya State, the people of NC Hills (presently Dima Hasao district) and Mikir Hills (presently Karbi Anglong district) decided not to join Meghalaya, though an option was given to them, because of the assurances given by the then ruling elite and leaders of Assam that the district councils, the governing bodies of these two hill districts, would be given powers equal to those given to the Meghalaya State. However, all those assurances have not been kept and the people of the Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts have felt cheated, the memorandum stated.
Experience has proved that the powers and functions conferred on the two district councils are practically inadequate to serve the very purpose for which they have been formed. As a consequence, there have been popular movements for a separate and autonomous State by major political and student-youth organisations in these two districts. More autonomy was granted through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 1995 among the Central Government, Government of Assam and the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), Karbi Students� Association and Dimasa Students� Union.
However, many clauses of the MoU have not been implemented till date and the so-called autonomy granted under the MoU has remained on paper only. Insurgent movements and armed struggles for a separate State and autonomy were launched by the DHD-N and DHD-J in Dima Hasao and adjoining areas. The UPDS and KNLF in Karbi Anglong also got a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) which is yet to be implemented. Though more powers were supposed to be given under the MoS, this, too, would fail to address the political problems faced by the people of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts, the memorandum added.
The demand for a separate State for Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong was raised in 1973 by leaders like Sonaram Thaosen, president, Joint Action Committee, Mikir & NC Hills Leaders� Conference, and MLAs JB Hagjer, CS Teron, SS Terang and DR Rongpi. The Joint Action Committee, Mikir & NC Hills Leaders� Conference, organised several meetings of leaders of both the districts, moulded public opinion and submitted a memorandum to the then Prime Minister of India for the creation of a new State comprising the autonomous districts of Mikir and NC Hills and adjoining areas of Assam, the memorandum pointed out.
The only alternative to ensure speedy all-round development and safeguard the interests of the people of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong is to create a separate State for these two hill districts under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of India, the UPFSSM said in the memorandum.