tiol convention for statehood concludes

From a Correspondent

DIPHU, February 10: The two-day long convention for statehood demand concluded at Karbi Anglong Sports Association (KASA) Stadium, Diphu in Karbi Anglong on Tuesday.

A joint convention of Hills State Demand Party (HSDP), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Lennist), CPI (ML) and United People Front (UPF) was held to decide a road map to re-intensify the statehood movement for Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts. Hundreds of workers from different part of the two hill districts joined the convention to lead the struggle for statehood demand.

The Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) was formed on  May 17,1986 for the cause of autonomous state and from 1986 to 1995 the ASDC and CPI(ML) fought jointly and peacefully under the leadership of Holiram Terang and Dr. Jayanta Rongpi for autonomous state which drew the attention of the tion on several occasions owing to unprecedented mass mobilization at the grassroots level, the movement united also all the diverse hills tribes but due to some ideological differences, the CPI (ML) and ASDC disintegrated and the mass movement for the autonomous state for the two hills district started dying down and the Congress came to power in KAAC and thereafter the issue of statehood demand receded in Congress agenda.

As a result the journey of Karbi and Dima people for the quest for statehood remained incomplete.  After the MoS signed between UPDS and the Central Government in 2011, the ASDC was rechristened as Hills State Democratic Party (HSDP). The reunification of HSDP, CPI(ML) and UPF for statehood demand has given the hill people of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao a chance to fulfil their long cherished desire for statehood demand.

Dr Jayanta Rongpi, former MP Diphu, while talking to media persons said that the mass gathering once again proved that people wanted peaceful movement for State and wanted the government to find a political solution to their demand.