72-hour NC Hills bandh over delay in autonomous council polls

Guwahati, Mar 31 (UNI) The BJP-ASDC today called a 72-hour North Cachar (NC) Hills district bandh from April 9 to protest the delay in holding elections to the NC Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC), the term of which had expired in December.

Addressing a press meet here, BJP's NC Hills district president Kulendra Daulagupu said, the elections to the NCHAC should have been held immediately after the term of the present council expired on December 20 last. But the state government contrived to extend the term by six months, which was stopped only by a High Court ruling.

'' We demand that the polls be announced without delay. The bandh has been called jointly by the BJP and Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) to press for our demand,'' he added.

BJP legislator Mission Ranjan Das, also present at the press meet, said, '' The state government can easily announce elections through an affidavit, which would automatically depose off the writ petitions pending in the court. But they don't have the will to do so.'' He said the Congress, which held power at Dispur as well as controlled the present NCHAC, was employing in delaying tactics as it feared losing power due to its 'rampant corruption' in the NCHAC administration.

Mr Daulagupu further pointed out that the government had pleaded for time for delimitation in the NC Hills, but it could have conveniently done it during its tenure of five years.

The BJP would be contesting in eight of the total 23 seats in the NCHAC, leaving the rest for its alliance partner ASDC.

UNI