[Assam] Public hearings postponed (The Sentinel,12.06.2007)

[Buljit Buragohain]

Public hearings postponed
AASU-led all-party team meets Delimitation Commission Chairman
Delimitation of constituencies 
By a Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, June 11: With almost all the political parties and organizations protesting the delimitation draft for Asom constituencies, the Delimitation Commission of India has decided to defer the public hearings in the State, Delimitation Commission Chairman Justice (retd) Kuldeep Singh said in his meeting with an all-party delegation led by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in New Delhi today. The Delimitation Commission had organized public hearings in Jorhat on June 16 and in Guwahati on June 18 and 19. 
Talking to The Sentinel over telephone from New Delhi, AASU president Shankar Prasad Rai said: “Kuldeep Singh assured the all-party delegation that he would not come to Asom and hold the public hearing now.”
“The Delimitation Commission also informed us that they might postpone the whole process if the Asom Government sends a proposal to them in this regard,” the AASU president said.
It may be mentioned here that an all-party delegation of the AGP, PLP, NCP, CPI and BJP, led by the AASU, met Singh today and mounted pressure on him to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before finalizing the delimitation of constituencies. The delegation also met Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and discussed with him the entire matter. The Vice President has reportedly told the delegation that he would ‘seriously take up’ the matter. 
The delimitation draft has already led to a lot of protest in the State. Nine Assembly seats for the Scheduled Castes and 19 for the Scheduled Tribes were reserved under the final draft. All the three seats in Dhemaji constituency were reserved. The draft was like a nightmare for several bigwigs in politics including Education Minister Ripun Bora, Forest and Tourism Minister Rockybul Hussain, Congress leaders Santosh Mohan Dev, Nurul Hussain etc. When it came to Lok Sabha seats, Silchar was reserved under SC, while Diphu and Lakhimpur were reserved under ST. Four seats were curtailed from the upper Asom constituencies while four more were added to lower Asom.
Protesting the draft, a team of the Assam Legislative Assembly under Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai also met the Delimitation Commission Chairman last month and submitted a memorandum. Even the associated members disassociated themselves from the Commission in protest against the draft. These included Congress members Kirip Chaliha, Golam Osmani, Abdul Khaleq, Rameswar Dhanowar and Gobinda Chandra Langhthasa, AGP members Chandra Mohan Patowary and Dr Arun Sarma, BJP members Rajen Gohain and Parimal Suklavaidya, and BPPF member Sansuma Khingur Bwismuthiary. The AASU also met BJP president Rajnath Singh in this regard, following which the latter sent a letter to the Prime Minister to stop the delimitation process in Asom. Several parties also moved Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Law Minister HR Bharadwaj to update the NRC before finalizing the delimitation process. 

   
   (The Sentinel,12.06.2007)

 			
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