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UWAHATI: Barely 24 hours after formally laying down arms, the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) leadership has staked claim to the North Cachar Hills
Autonomous Council a clause not mentioned in their formal charter of demands submitted to the state government before the outfit's surrender ceremony on Friday.
DHD (J) commander-in-chief Niranjan Hojai met top government officials after the ceremony in Haflong and demanded that the present council be dissolved and he be made the chief executive member to head an interim council.
On Saturday, chief minister Tarun Gogoi told TOI that the DHD (J) demand has legal implications but did not quite rule out the possibility of an interim council. "They (DHD-J) want to form the council. They have not named who all would be in the council, but I have told them that they have to go by the election process," Gogoi said.
The present 30-member council set up under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution (28 elected members and 2 nominated) is under suspended animation since June after its chief executive member, Mohit Hojai, was arrested on May 30 for allegedly providing Rs 1 crore to DHD (J).
The CM said that if fresh elections are to be held, the existing council has to be dissolved first. "This is where the legal implications would come as the reason for dissolving the council has to be justified before the court," he stressed.
"They want to go for an interim council but we will have to hold election anyway," Gogoi said, adding that there is a distinct difference between the current situation and the circumstances under which the now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tigers had formed the interim council first and then contested elections. "The Bodo case is different because the council there was new and so an interim council had to be formed. In NC Hills, we already have an elected council," the chief minister said.
In accordance with the Six Schedule, the Governor is holding charge of the council but for a period not exceeding six months, which ends in December. However, the period of animated suspension may be extended by a period not exceeding six months on each occasion.
Gogoi said he had also asked the DHD (J) leadership to talk to the non-Dimasa groups on the issue of its demand for a change of name for the district. "There are reservations among the non-Dimasas. If the DHD (J) starts initial talks with these groups and accommodate them, then we will help," he added.
UWAHATI: Barely 24 hours after formally laying down arms, the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) leadership has staked claim to the North Cachar Hills
Autonomous Council a clause not mentioned in their formal charter of demands submitted to the state government before the outfit's surrender ceremony on Friday.
DHD (J) commander-in-chief Niranjan Hojai met top government officials after the ceremony in Haflong and demanded that the present council be dissolved and he be made the chief executive member to head an interim council.
On Saturday, chief minister Tarun Gogoi told TOI that the DHD (J) demand has legal implications but did not quite rule out the possibility of an interim council. "They (DHD-J) want to form the council. They have not named who all would be in the council, but I have told them that they have to go by the election process," Gogoi said.
The present 30-member council set up under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution (28 elected members and 2 nominated) is under suspended animation since June after its chief executive member, Mohit Hojai, was arrested on May 30 for allegedly providing Rs 1 crore to DHD (J).
The CM said that if fresh elections are to be held, the existing council has to be dissolved first. "This is where the legal implications would come as the reason for dissolving the council has to be justified before the court," he stressed.
"They want to go for an interim council but we will have to hold election anyway," Gogoi said, adding that there is a distinct difference between the current situation and the circumstances under which the now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tigers had formed the interim council first and then contested elections. "The Bodo case is different because the council there was new and so an interim council had to be formed. In NC Hills, we already have an elected council," the chief minister said.
In accordance with the Six Schedule, the Governor is holding charge of the council but for a period not exceeding six months, which ends in December. However, the period of animated suspension may be extended by a period not exceeding six months on each occasion.
Gogoi said he had also asked the DHD (J) leadership to talk to the non-Dimasa groups on the issue of its demand for a change of name for the district. "There are reservations among the non-Dimasas. If the DHD (J) starts initial talks with these groups and accommodate them, then we will help," he added.
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