Northeast groups protest demanding delimitation

The North East Students’ Forum on Delimitation (NESFOD) along with various other groups staged a protest here on Friday, demanding the Centre to expedite the delimitation exercise in four northeast states. Around 100 to 150 members of various North Eastern groups joined the protest at Jantar Mantar, raising slogans like “we want justice”, and “we demand delimitation”.
Members of the Delimitation Demand Committee- Northeast (DDC-NE) and Apatani Youth Association and Tanw Supun Dukun– the apex body of the Apatani community of Arunachal Pradesh, were also part of the demonstration.
Addressing the protesters, Manipur’s Lok Sabha MP and an associate member of the Delimitation Commission, Lorho S. Pfoze said there is a need to “reorganise” the borders of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur, adding, the Centre has given “very little importance” about the delimitation exercise there. The protestor said the Centre has not conducted the exercise for the last 51 years.
Speaking about their primary concerns, the media cell in charge of DDC-NE, J. Maivio said that there is an unequal distribution of constituencies in the North Eastern states.
Habung Payeng, former information commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh said the Centre has violated Article 14 (Right to Equality) and 21 (Right to Life and Liberty) of the Indian Constitution by delaying the exercise. NESFOD members said that they will submit a memorandum at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday.