Demand for clear cut, pragmatic policy on new states
Guwahati, July 9 (MExN): The National Federation for New States (NFNS), North East chapter, has demanded that the BJP regime adopt a “clear cut” and “pragmatic” policy for creation of new states within the Indian Union.
“Creation of new states will bring better administration and speedy development of the region,” stated a press statement from the NE chapter of the NFNS today following a meeting at Tribal Rest House in Guwahati.
The demand for new states is not a new issue in India; some of them were started before independence and some after for a “self determined administrative region” in the form of a State under the Indian Union. The North East chapter of the Federation is a congregation of demands for Bodoland, Tripuraland, Kukiland and Karbi Anglong. The other demands in India include the creation of Vidarbha, Bundelkhand and Gorkhaland.
These demands in the North East have particularly been raised for “asserting to protect and safeguard the ethnic identities of some of the ethnic communities of the North East region whose identities and existence are under constant threat due to external aggression and also to do away with the disparity in socio-economic development in some regions,” noted the press statement signed by Pramod Boro, President of ABSU and Joint Secretary of NFNS, Swapanajit Sanyal, Working President of Vidharbha Rajya Aghadi and Central Executive of NFNS, Hejang Haokip, President of the Kuki State Demand Committee and Central Executive of NFNS, Khorsing Teron, Chairman of Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS) and Central Executive of NFNS, Gobinda Basumatary, Secretary General of NDFB (P) and Central Executive of NFNS, and Rakesh Boro, People Joint Action Committee for Bodo Land Movement and Central Executive of NFNS.
The executive meeting of the NFNS, NE chapter resolved that the Government of India (GoI) must expedite tripartite talks with the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) and its allied organizations and the NDFB (P) which has “remained stagnant for the last one and half years,” failing which they may be compelled to “launch a vigorous movement.”
Its second demand urged the GoI to “initiate dialogue” with the United Peoples Front & Kuki National Organization to “resolve the issue of Kukiland Demand.”
It also urged the GoI to expedite talks with JACAS to “resolve the demand of Karbi Autonomous State in Karbi Anglong.”
Finally, it asked the GoI to “resolve the unsolved State Demand issue of Borok People of Tripura.”
The NFNS, NE chapter, stated that contrary to what the BJP had promised couple of years back before coming to power, the regime is “destroying the very foundation of Democracy by elevating Corporate Houses to the epicenter of both economy and administration of India.”
“Selling of oil fields of Assam and elsewhere of India to national and foreign private companies, allowing foreign companies to set up business establishments in India and giving absolute authorities of some areas of India to Corporate Houses by declaring those areas as Special Economic Zones are nothing but clear indications of total negligence to the backward and weaker sections of the Indian society,” noted the Federation, while condemning the “nefarious policies” of the ‘NDA regime.’
Given these policies, the NFNS wondered what the position of “indigenous people/investors” will be. “Mere development of infra-structure won’t make a country a developed one unless the government adopts a policy to develop the socio-economically backward and weaker communities of the country,” it maintained, also stating that the “digitalization of India” will remain “mere day-dreaming as long as the Government of India does not adopt a policy to impart quality education to each and every citizen of India.”
Reminding that the present government has already advocated for creation of smaller states thereby making it imperative for it to take further steps, the NFNS NE chapter reiterated that the people demanding statehood “want to live as the part and parcel of the great Indian community with dignity and honour in our ancestral land under the provisions of the constitution of India. We want our identity with language and culture to be protected and ensured under the provisions of the constitution of India. We demand for adopting political decision on the issue which will pave way for an amicable solution.”
