All Bodo Students' Union demands eviction of non-tribal encroachers

OUR CORRESPONDENT

KOKRAJHAR: The All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) on Friday expressed strong resentment over the move to de-reserve Kokrajhar ST Lok Sabha seat and other assembly constituencies of the 6th schedule of BTC administration and demanded that the unabated illegal encroachment in tribal belts and blocks and tribal areas by non tribals have surpassed the tribal population for which the government must evict them before de-reserving the ST seats.

Talking to media persons at Bodofa House, the president of ABSU, Dipen Boro said the government was trying to de-reserve the existing ST seats even in the 6th schedule administration area in the pretext of low population of tribal. He stated that tribals were in the majority in tribal areas, but that over the last fifty years, the government has not checked the massive encroachment in tribal belts and blocks, issuing voters cards, or including names of illegal settlers in the voters' list, resulting in non-tribal people becoming the majority in tribal protected seats. He said ABSU will not compromise on the de-reservation of ST seats unless all non tribal illegal encroachers are evicted.

Boro said, "ABSU welcomes the delimitation process declared by the Election Commission of India but it will not compromise reservation in proposed delimitation process at any cause. He stated that the identity of the Bodos, as well as their constitutional and political rights, should be preserved in the BTR's sixth schedule.ABSU demanded that the Kokrajhar Parliamentary Constituency (ST) remain unchanged and reserved for ST, as well as the newly proposed Udalguri Parliamentary Constituency (Lok Sabha).

The ABSU has strongly opposed the proposed draft prepared in 2008 where de-reservation of the existing Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat from ST reservation is clearly shown. Since independence tribals have been enjoying political rights in Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat on the basis of the majority of tribal population but unfortunately and vehemently the seat has been proposed as unreserved in this draft for which ABSU had already opposed in 2008.

ABSU president said the increasing number of the non-tribal population in BTR region was due to the large scale illegal encroachment in tribal belts and blocks and other government lands in last 50 years which is a matter of grave concern. We demand both the state and council government to take strong policy decision in this regard.

The ABSU strongly opposes the draft and will not compromise on reserved seats, be it in Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies. It demands to protect the constitutional rights of the tribals in Sixth Schedule. The Kokrajhar Parliamentary Constituency (ST) Lok Sabha seat falls under the jurisdiction of the Bodoland Territorial Region, which was established in 2003 under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution under the BTC Act [Articles 244(2) and 275(1) to protect, preserve, and promote tribal constitutional and political rights].So, we believe Sixth Schedule is meant to protect the rights and privileges of the tribal people from being engulfed by illegal migrants or encroachers. De-reservation of seats in Parliament and Assembly under BTR will be an utter violation of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution to protect, which protects, preserves, and promotes the constitutional and political rights of the tribals.

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