GUWAHATI
A civil society group in Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley has slammed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for the “ghettoisation” of some Assembly constituencies, that they said would be the result of the Election Commission’s draft proposal for delimitation.
According to the draft published in June, the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in the State will remain unchanged at 14 and 126. But four Assembly seats have been moved from the general to the reserved categories, and three have been included in the Bodoland Territorial Council.
Some constituencies, both Parliamentary and Assembly, are proposed to be renamed and the boundaries of many would be redrawn, allegedly to reduce the power of Muslim voters. Among the other proposals is giving the reserved (Scheduled Caste) tag of Karimganj Lok Sabha seat to Silchar instead, both in southern Assam’s Barak Valley.
‘Bigoted and insulting’
In a statement on July 12, the Axom Nagarik Samaj opposed the draft delimitation proposal while criticising Dr. Sarma for “bigoted” remarks related to the redrawing and renaming of the constituencies.
“On June 23, he [the CM] stated that the draft delimitation proposal would achieve what the 1985 Assam Accord and the National Register of Citizens could not. He said that once it is implemented, the people of Assam will be dominant in 102 constituencies and will be able to elect their representatives,” the Samaj statement said.
Assam has a total of 126 Assembly constituencies.
Also read: Explained | Assam’s delimitation test
The group said the CM’s remark was a “gross insult” to the other 24 constituencies in the State, whose voters have been made to feel that they are not people of Assam.
“This kind of bigoted statement does not behove the chair of the Chief Minister, who has taken oath on the Constitution. This attitude on the part of a constitutional functionary has the potential to promote the feeling of alienation and hatred towards a section of people of Assam,” the Samaj said.
‘Majoritiarianism and ghettoiastion’
The manner in which people from the same community have been stuffed into each constituency was a reminder of the separate electorates during the colonial era, the civil society group added. “The design of the proposed draft for delimitation is exclusive and not inclusive. The exclusivity of one religion in each consistency will promote majoritarianism in some constituencies and ghettoisation in others. This will break the already fragile social fabric of Assam,” the Samaj said.
The delimitation proposal, if finalised, would counter the very idea of unity in diversity in India, go against the spirit of the Constitution, and ultimately violate the dignity of individuals, the group said.
“The manner in which change has been made in each and every constituency makes it very apparent that this is not the handiwork of EC, but that of the BJP and its current government in Assam. The BJP’s deep interference in the draft proposal for delimitation raises serious doubt over the independence of a constitutional institution like the Election Commission of India, and its competency to conduct elections,” the Samaj said.
It also said that the delimitation exercise would make many small communities in Assam politically irrelevant while others would become more relevant, the Samaj claimed, demanding the withdrawal of the draft proposal.
Twitter compaign
The protests against the proposed de-reservation of Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency have triggered an online campaign.
Twitter users in the Barak Valley launched the hashtag “don’t deserve Karimganj LS” campaign, which has garnered more than 12,000 supporters since July 10.
The primary concern raised by the Twitter users was that de-reserving the Karimganj seat would be a security risk. Karimganj shares an international border with Bangladesh, and users argued that a reserved seat would ensure that the representative of the constituency is committed to national security.
Users also raised concerns about the smuggling, illegal activities, and terrorist activities that occur in Karimganj district. They argued that letting the constituency be reserved for SC communities would help address these issues.
