Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, February 26: The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa has said his organisation favours a plebiscite in Assam to decide once and for all whether the people support his outfit's demand for sovereignty or prefer to stay with India. The ULFA leader, however, made it clear that any plebiscite would have to be held under the supervision of a "neutral country or an international body", and with an electoral list comprising only indigenous people. In an exclusive interview with TheNewspaperToday through e-mail, Rajkhowa, 45, on Thursday answered questions on the...

DIPHU, February 25: The chairman of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, Daniel Teron's house was attacked by suspected militants of the United Peoples' Democratic Solidarity last night, official sources said here. A group of about 10 to 12 militants came last night to Teron's house and opened indiscriminate firing. Teron, who was inside the house, and other family members were not injured, but the house suffered partial damage. Security has been strengthened around Teron's house and the police has launched a massive combing operation in the area to nab the militants, the sources said.

GUWAHATI, February 25: The tea estates in the State are illegally occupying altogether 20,267 bigha, 2 katha and 8 lechas of Government land and the State Government has been initiating a legal process to free plots of land from the encroachment of the tea estates, said Revenue Minister Zoii Nath Sarma on the floor of the State Assembly recently. Sarma was replying to a unstarred question put by MLA Kalyan Kumar Gogoi. Gogoi in his question wanted to know as to what size of Government land was under the encroachment of State's tea estates, he also requested for the break-up showing the amount...

GUWAHATI, February 24: The State Assembly yesterday passed the Mishing Autonomous Council (Amendment) Bill, 2001, which is a further amendment to Mishing Autonomous Council Act, 1995, by voice vote amid protest from members belonging to Bodo political parties. As per the amendment effected yesterday, the General Council shall consist of 40 members out of which 36 shall be directly elected and four shall be nominated by the government with the concurrence of Mishing Autonomous Council from amongst the groups of communities residing in the Council area and not otherwise represented in the...

GUWAHATI, February 24: The Bharatiya Janata Party is going to fight the next Assembly election in the State with the 'aim' to capture power on its own, the BJP national general secretary (organisation) Narendra Modi today said while ruling out any poll alliance with the ruling AGP as per the wishes of the State BJP unit. Modi who is here to attend the two-day conference of central office-bearers of the party being held outside New Delhi for the first time, reiterated that there was no possibility of any electoral understanding with the AGP as the State BJP was opposed to it. He, however, said...

GUWAHATI, February 23: Members of the State Assembly today expressed serious concern over the proposal mooted by a section of Bangladeshi intellectuals to divide India to form a confederation comprising Bangladesh, Northeast States of India and West Bengal. Raising the issue during the zero-hour in the State Assembly today, Dilip Kumar Saikia (AGP) said that the State Government should take up the matter seriously with the Government of India. He pointed out that way back in 1947, the leaders of the erstwhile East Pakistan tried their best to include Assam in their country but that move was...

NEW DELHI, February 23: Rattled by the apprehension that the ruling AGP might use the surrendered ULFA cadres to rig the forthcoming polls in the State, Assam Congress party has decided to move the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking its direction to the State Government to rein in the armed elements. The decision to approach the EC was taken by the Assam Congress Parliamentary Party at an emergent meeting here chaired by the APCC president, Tarun Gogoi and attended by all senior leaders of the party, including Manmohan Singh, disclosed the convenor of the forum, Madhab Rajbongshi...

GUWAHATI, February 21: With tea tribes and a few other intra-party lobbies led by senior leaders demanding their share of party tickers to contest in the next Assembly election in the State, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) leadership is in a fix to prepare a well accepted list of aspirants to be referred to the party high command for the final selection of nominees. Sources in the party informed that the leaders of tea tribe community which has been a loyal vote bank for Congress party in the State, have this time demanded party nominations to contest from as many as 26 Legislative...

GUWAHATI, February 20: All the indigenous people of Assam must fight together to thwart the design to include Assam and other parts of the Northeastern region into Bangladesh with demographic invasion, said the adviser of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), Samujjal Bhattacharyya. Referring to the reports that a section of intellectuals of Bangladesh mooted the idea of dividing India to form a confederation comprising Bangladesh and the NE States of India, Bhattacharyya alleged that the failure of the Central and the State Governments to check the demographic invasion was the main reason for...

GUWAHATI, February 18: The All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) has no objection in extending support to any national or regional political party which supports the cause of the Bodos in the ensuing Assembly polls, said the newly elected president of the ABSU Rabi Ram Narzary. Talking to The Assam Tribune, Narzary said that till date the ABSU has not discussed possible poll alliance with any political party. He said that the ABSU has already identified 31 Assembly constituencies to field Independent candidates. Narzary further said that the ABSU is in favour of maintaining good relations with the...