Guwahati, 20th July: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) stated their position during the opening day of the three-day public hearing on the delimitation draught held in Kalakshetra, acknowledging both the positive and negative parts of the proposal. While they welcomed 2001 as the starting point for the ongoing delimitation process, they made it clear that they did not support the full draught plan.
Addressing a press conference, AASU General Secretary Sonkar Jyoti Baruah stated that certain groups were misrepresenting their position, claiming that they had accepted the complete draft proposal. He emphasized that they only supported the use of the 2001 census as the base year and demanded the restoration of Lahowal and Amguri constituencies to ensure representation for the indigenous people.
AASU President Utpal Sarma added that while they appreciated the use of 2001 as the base year for the current delimitation process, they urged for the subsequent delimitation in Assam and the rest of the country, starting in 2026, to be based on the 1991 census. This, they believe, would safeguard the rights of the indigenous people.
Chief Advisor of AASU, Samujjal Bhattacharya, clarified their stance, stating that they support the use of 2001 as the base year, considering it a positive start to the delimitation exercise. However, they also stressed the need for amendments to address certain concerns.
Earlier, the students’ body faced criticism for initially welcoming 2001 as the base year. Utpal Sarma had explained that the demographic pattern of constituencies had changed over the years due to illegal infiltration, making the use of 1991 census figures more favorable for better representation of the indigenous people.
The ongoing public hearing aims to gather feedback from various stakeholders, including AASU, on the delimitation draft, which has elicited mixed opinions and demands for amendments to ensure fair representation in Assam’s constituencies.