GUWAHATI, March 31 � The State Government today withdrew the controversial Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (Amendment) Bill-2010 following widespread protests by the Opposition as well as some of its own legislators who unanimously held that the Bill in its present form would do more harm than good, especially in the matter of ensuring amity among the diverse sections of populace, i.e., tribals, non-tribals and other minorities residing in the autonomous council area.
Calling for a consensus, Mission Ranjan Das (BJP) said that the Rabha community was apprehensive of Rabha-dominated areas being left out of the council.
Uddhab Barman (CPM) reasoned that the Rabhas wanted polls to the council and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, and that the Bill would create ethnic unrest and further complicate the situation in the already restive area, adding that the Bill be referred to the Select Committee of the House. Bhuban Pegu (Ind) supported the move, saying that all the parties concerned needed to be taken into confidence while deciding the future of the council and that keeping in abeyance the polls for 15 years had led to widespread corruption and the need now was to ensure responsibility and accountability for facilitating lasting peace.
Advocating withdrawal of the Bill, Rana Goswami (Congress) called for dialogues with all the bodies as non-tribals were wary about the Bill. D Daimary (BPF) wanted a new amendment to be brought in, and said that the present Bill would create problems for all the communities.
Prafulla Mahanta (AGP) questioned the rationale of the Sate Government in bringing in the amendment while a High Court case was pending on the issue, and accused the Government of failing to make an assessment of the prevailing situation. He advocated referring the Bill to the Select Committee. JP Das (AGP) also supported him.
Rajiv Lochan Pegu (AGP) favoured withdrawal of the Bill, reasoning that the need was to remove misunderstandings and tension among the different communities. He also urged the House to adopt a resolution and move the Centre on the Council area demarcation and the proposed polls.
WPT and BC Minister Pramila Rani Brahma, who had moved the Bill, said that the Government was sincere abut accommodating the interests of all the people in the Council area and in view of the strong opposition to the Bill in the House, �we decide to withdraw the Bill and bring in a new amendment soon.�
Initiating the debate on the Bill, Dr Kamala Kalita (AGP) said that the draft of the legislation was prepared without any study of the issues involved with it. For example, he said, though the Bill has named an ethnic group as Hasong, in fact, there is no such ethnic group.
Hasong is a Rabha word and it suggests a land. Rabha Hasong therefore, stands for the Rabha land. But, the Bill has treated Hasong as an ethnic group. Again, the Bill has an anti-Rabha posture. This has provoked angry protests in the Rabha-dominated areas of the State and this may lead to serious ethnic clashes in these areas in the days to come.
Therefore, he said, the Bill should be sent to the Select Committee for the sake of maintaining amity and unity among the peoples and it should not be treated as a matter of ego.
Leader of the Opposition Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the issues concerning the peoples living in the Rabha Hasong areas were brought to the notice of the Government prior to the last panchayat elections. The Chief Minister then assured to look into the matter.
But later, group clashes occurred in the Rabha Hasong areas. The Bill is feared to create more violent situation in the Rabha Hasong areas, as, some controversial issues are involved with the Bill. More controversies should not be allowed to crop up, he said.
In this connection, he referred to the Sericulture Bill, which was tabled during the first term of the AGP Government. That Bill was referred to the Select Committee when several quarters expressed resentment over it, Patowary said.
