Cong gains 11 in NC Hills

Silchar/Nagaon, Nov. 29: The Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), a prominent regional political party in NC Hills district, suffered a jolt yesterday when 11 of its councillors joined the Congress to allow it to form the new ruling set-up in the district council. The Autonomous District Council of North Cachar Hills is now in a state of suspended animation as the state government had taken it over on June 30 in the wake of serious allegations of financial malpractice levelled against the ruling ASDC, led by its chief executive member Mohit Hojai. The desertions of the ASDC councillors came at a time when speculations are rife that governor’s rule in the district council would end in a few days time. Prakanta Warisa, a former Rajya Sabha MP and district president of the ASDC, was caught unawares. The ASDC had won 16 seats in the 2007 elections in the 28-member council. Later, four BJP councillors joined them to make it 20. Of the 20, seven subsequently joined Congress leaving ASDC with 13. Now of the remaining, 11 have joined the Congress. The Congress is keen to stitch together a ruling combination before governor’s rule is waived. Barring Warisa and Hojai, the former chief executive councillor now in jail for his alleged link with the Dima Halam Daogah (Gorlosa), all the present folk of the ASDC councillors had leapt on the Congress bandwagon. The important leaders of the ASDC who had chosen to discard their parent party and join hands with the Congress included among others Mayanan Kemprai, Galan Daolagopu and Bejoyendra Kemprai. A crestfallen Warisa said over the phone from Guwahati that he was shocked at the developing signs of “indiscipline” inside the party, paving the way for the Congress to form the new council under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule. He said he was considering quitting from the post of the president of the ASDC district committee as he could not keep his flock together. The district unit of the ASDC has convened a meeting in Haflong on December 11 to discuss the fallout of this change in the political equations in the district. Congress NC Hills unit president and former ASDC’s Haflong legislator, Samarjeet Haflongbar, rushed to the district headquarters from Guwahati on Saturday and distributed the party’s primary membership cards to the 11 ASDC members. A source said a cabinet meeting scheduled on December 2 is likely to recommend revoking the suspension of the council and the Congress-led council headed by Haflongbar as CEM and former ASDC chief Depulal Hojai as chairman would take charge.