Politics / Assam

Guwahati, June 12: The Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (Attsa) and the All Assam Students Union (AASU) have decided to bury the hatchet with the latter promising to fight for the rights of the tea community. The Attsa volte-face came a couple of weeks after it accused the AASU leadership of trying to destroy the composite fabric of the Assamese society by branding the tea community of the state as non-Assamese.

In a joint press conference here this morning, leaders of both the students’ organisations warned the political parties, including the Congress and the AGP, not to divide the...

GUWAHATI, June 10 (IANS): The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is seeking a "political solution" to end decades of violent insurgency in the region that has left thousands dead. "As a revolutionary group, we want an honourable and acceptable political solution to the long years of conflict," Arabinda Rajkhowa, chief of the banned ULFA, said in a statement.

He was reacting to New Delhi’s offers to hold peace talks with separatist groups in the north-eastern region.

"It now depends on the Indian Government’s sincerity in holding talks with us. We have always been hearing of successive...

GUWAHATI, June 9 – The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has decided to take the opinion of lawyers before deciding on the next course of action against two suspended legislators Ali Akbar Mian and Abdul Jabbar after the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly Prithibi Majhi rejected the party’s petition on their disqualification.

The Speaker rejected the petition of the AGP for disqualification of the two legislators on the ground that the party failed to file the petition within the stipulated time. The Chief Whip of the AGP Legislature Party Hitendra Nath Goswami pointed out that the petition was...

MORIGAON, June 8 – The Cabinet Sub-Committee formed by the Government of Assam to study the demand for inclusion of Tiwa, Mising and Rabha autonomous councils into the Sixth Schedule of Indian Constitution visited Morigaon on June 5. The committee headed by Dr Bhumidhar Barman, Minister for Health comprising another three Cabinet ministers of Assam government met several Tiwa organisations, public representatives and examined the demand of 6th schedule autonomy to Tiwas.

As many as six organisations namely – All Tiwa Students’ Union (ATSU), Autonomy Demand Struggling Forum (ADSF), Sadou Asom...

Guwahati, June 7: The United Progressive Alliance’s commitment to carve out a new state called Telengana from Andhra Pradesh has led leaders of Assam’s Bodo tribe to question why the community should be content with just an autonomous administrative council. The Bodo community had only recently settled for a new administrative council, constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Lok Sabha member from Kokrajhar Sangsuma Khungur Bwismutiary, however, said there was no reason for the Bodo community not to aspire for a separate state.

The Independent MP said over phone from New...

GUWAHATI, June 7 – The Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Prithibi Majhi, today reserved his ruling on the prayer of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) for disqualification of two legislators – Ali Akbar Mian and Abdul Jabbar. The AGP filed a petition for disqualification of the two legislators for disobeying the three-line whip of the party in the last Rajya Sabha polls for two seats from Assam.

The Chief Whip of the AGP Legislature Party Hitendra Nath Goswami told this correspondent today that the Speaker today heard both sides and kept his ruling on the issue reserved. “We are waiting...

JORHAT, June 6 — Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that a special package for surrendered ULFA militants will soon be sanctioned by the Centre, reports PTI. “There are at present more than 7000 surrendered militants in the State and I am happy to announce that there will be a special rehabilitation package for them very soon,” Gogoi told reporters here. The Chief Minister said that during his recent visit to New Delhi, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had assured him that those who come forward to surrender will be rehabilitated.

“The Prime Minister had a very positive attitude to solve...

Guwahati/Nagaon, June 4: Pressure is mounting on the Assam government to secure the release of minister G.C. Langthasa’s youngest son Nirmalendu from Ulfa captivity before the impasse causes an ethnic divide. In a memorandum to chief minister Tarun Gogoi, the apex community organisation of the Dimasas said the relationship between the people of the hills and the plains was as much at stake as Nirmalendu’s safety.

“The community desires that Nirmalendu should come back safe, unharmed and immediately. It is only recently that N.C. Hills returned to normality from months of ethnic violence, and...

Silchar, June 1: Mediators trying to secure the release of Assam minister G.C. Langthasa’s youngest son Nirmal from Ulfa custody have reached a dead end. A member of the Langthasa family said last night that the militant group was unwilling to set Nirmal, a businessman, free without taking full advantage of the situation.

He said Ulfa members based in Karbi Anglong, who had been negotiating with the mediators, became incommunicado after conveying the message that any decision on the topic would henceforth be taken only by the top leadership.

Driven to despair by the deadlock, the minister’s...

GUWAHATI, May 31: The smaller tribes in the State have demanded a series of measures, including creation of autonomous regional councils to safeguard their rights and interests. In a recent memorandum under the banner of the Smaller Tribes Human Rights Organization, which was submitted to the President, they said, an immediate change in the name of Karbi Anglong district is necessary with a view to maintain its multi-tribe character. They suggested the district should be named Diphu.

In view of the frequent ethnic clashes in the hills district, they have demanded village police force as per...