Diphu: The All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) staged a massive rally in Diphu on Tuesday, demanding electoral reforms under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, stronger safeguards for indigenous communities and autonomous statehood for Assam’s hill districts under Article 244(A).
The rally began at the historic Karbi Club in Ronghinang, a venue associated with the Roman Script Movement, the Autonomous State Movement and the Karbi Youth Festival. Hundreds of party workers and supporters marched through the streets of Diphu towards the offices of the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and the Deputy Commissioner.
The demonstration was led by APHLC president Jones Ingti Kathar, vice-president Rajesh Tisso, law secretary Semson Teron and Bikram Hanse.
During the rally, the party submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India, outlining a series of demands concerning electoral regulations, voter eligibility, constitutional autonomy and institutional accountability.
Among its key demands, the APHLC called for the immediate framing of electoral rules under Paragraph 2(7) of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to govern elections to autonomous district councils.
The party also demanded strict verification of electoral rolls in the KAAC jurisdiction and the removal of names it considers ineligible, particularly those of non-tribal voters allegedly included in the lists.
It further sought to make Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates mandatory for candidates contesting elections within the KAAC jurisdiction.
A major component of the memorandum was the demand for the full implementation of Article 244(A) of the Constitution to establish an autonomous state comprising Assam’s hill districts. The provision empowers Parliament to form an autonomous state within Assam and establish a legislature and Council of Ministers for it under specified constitutional arrangements.
The APHLC also called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a complete ban on electronic voting machines (EVMs) in favour of paper ballots, and decisive action to address what it described as systemic corruption.
Addressing the gathering, party leaders said the mobilisation reflected the spirit of the hill movements of the 1970s and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to protecting indigenous land rights, constitutional safeguards and political self-determination in Karbi Anglong.
The rally brought electoral governance and the long-standing demand for greater constitutional autonomy in Assam’s hill districts back into focus, with the APHLC pressing for changes to the existing institutional and electoral framework governing the region.