‘Creation of LACs and HPCs violating 6th schedule norms in BTC’: Janaklal Basumatary

KOKRAJHAR: Former Income Tax Commissioner of Rajasthan and a tribal leader Janaklal Basumatary on Friday asserted that the arithmetic of creation of LACs and HPCs in BTC districts was violating the 6th schedule norms in BTC. He also said the tribal political rights in 6th schedule area had been ceased by making its constituencies unreserved although the constituencies should have been made reserved for STs as per norms.

Basumatary said the AASU hailing the delimitation further demanded to give more stretch on constitutional safeguard of “recently defined indigenous people” without constitutional sanction as a result of this ‘artificial’ indigenous status claim it has diluted the already granted constitutional safeguard of tribal political rights. That’s why they have destroyed tribal safeguard of political rights preserved in BTC sixth schedule area diluting the artificial indigenous right with the rights of original tribal people, he said adding, “Although Kokrajhar is provided with ST reserved HPC, it is made as general administration area under Art.330(1)(b) of the constitution, not as in sixth schedule administration area under Art.330(1)(c) of the Constitution of India and thus, the political rights of tribal people are diluted with rights of artificial indigenous people in tribal area administration of BTC sixth schedule administration.

He said the newly created LACs in Kokrajhar district were made all non- ST LACs resulting 3 non- ST and 2 ST reserve LACs in Kokrajhar district as against existing 2 ST and 1 non-ST LACs. In Baksa district one ST reserve LAC named Chapaguri is made non-ST named Gobordhana LAC (To be renamed as Manas). Thus, Kokrajhar HPC contains, 5 non-ST and 4 ST reserved constituencies as if it is in general administration area. He said all LACs in ST reserve HPC constituency of Kokrajhar should have been made ST reserve in accordance with sixth schedule provision and provision of Art.332(4)(5)(6) of Constitution of India and likewise. All 15 LACs in BTC sixth schedule area must have been made ST reserve in accordance with above sixth schedule provision and constitution provision which they have made 9 LACs unreserved and only 6 ST reserve in violation of above sixth schedule and constitutional provision. He also said all HPC and LAC must remain within the territorial jurisdiction of BTC sixth schedule area as per sixth schedule provision and provision of people’s representation Act.1952.

The retired IRS said the merger of 6 LACs from Udalguri and Baksa districts of BTC with proposed Darrang HPC outside BTC is also in violation of sixth schedule provision and in violation of provision of Constitution of India. He said the six LACs must retain in respective districts of BTC sixth schedule areas and form another ST reserve HPC constituency in BTC sixth schedule area by the name, Udalguri, as demanded by public. He also said though the government has changed the proposed Darrang HPC to Bhairabkhunda HPC in BTC it has not given up the mixture of LACs of Darrang district and LACs of Kamrup district with Bhairabkhunda HPC in BTC and it is made non-ST HPC.

Basumatary reiterated that in the draft delimitation more political rights went to the Hindu non tribals in the guise of so called newly invented term of indigenous people of Assam. Tribal people lost their age-old constitutional safeguards of their political rights in favour of current new concept of indigenous people’s right without constitutional mandate, he said adding that it was high time for tribal people of Assam and BTC as well to be well aware of their constitutional safeguard of political right and try to get their due share of political right in this delimitation and reminded that this is the last chance to get shield of the constitutional tribal political rights of BTC sixth schedule tribal politics.

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