APHLC holds 6th Schedule awareness rally; demands re-election of KAAC

Our Correspondent

Diphu, July 4 (EMN): All Party Hills Leaders Conference (APHLC) on Monday organised a Sixth Schedule awareness rally in Diphu town demanding a re-election of KAAC ‘as the election conducted in June was not as per the Sixth Schedule provision, but was conducted according to Panchayat laws, which is illegal’.

APHLC is the main opposition party of the BJP ruled Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong.

Braving the scorching heat, thousands of APHLC supporters and workers from different parts of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong participated in the awareness rally.

Before the rally was taken out, APHLC leaders addressed the gathering in front of Semson Sing Engti Memorial Park.

President of APHLC, JI Kathar said, “There were proxy voting and attacks on non-BJP supporters on the voting day on June 8 in Bithung-Rengthama Member of Autonomous Council (MAC) constituency, the home constituency of Chief Executive Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang. The APHLC polling agents were attacked. They were not allowed to enter the voting booth. It is illegal and the APHLC demands a free and fair re-election. The party will approach the Supreme Court on this matter”.

The Bongo Sena and RSS want Member of Autonomous Council (MAC) from Howraghat, Ajit Kumar Dey to be inducted as Executive Member (EM) in the new Executive Committee (EC) headed by CEM Ronghang and want Dey to get the charge of Land and Revenue department, Kathar added.

Kathar also said that on September 25, 2021, the APHLC had taken out a torchlight procession in opposition against certain clauses of MoS signed by six armed organisations with the state and central governments.

He also said that the eviction drive taken out at Rongpangthir village, Lumding Road, by the Land and Revenue department is an injustice done against the tribal people.

The Supreme Court says that before eviction is to be carried out in any tribal-dominated places, the government should first find land to relocate them. But in the case of Rongpangthir, the KAAC has not done anything to compensate them. RSS and Bongo Sena intend to drive away the Karbis from their present place of stay to be filled up by Bengalis and Biharis, he added.

Bikrom Hanse, the APHLC candidate from Bithung-Rengthama in the recently concluded KAAC election informed that BJP workers in Bithung Rengthama indulged in massive rigging.

Several APHLC supporters were stopped from entering the voting booth on the polling date. There was manipulation of the whole election process by the BJP. The election was illegal and we want re-election, he added.

He further warned the KAAC to stop listening to the dictates of RSS and Bongo Sena and that the BJP government should stop arresting APHLC leaders without any proof.

This is just the beginning. If the government failed to conduct re-election, then the APHLC would take up a stronger agitation, Hanse threatened.