DUDHNOI, April 30: After much deliberations among various factions of Rabha organisations, a new initiative has been undertaken to sort out their differences in order to find ways and means for the all-round development of the Rabha community. Under the aegis of Rabha People's Conference, a meeting was accordingly held under the chairmanship of Dwijen Rabha. The leaders of RPC, Rabha Hasong Suraksha Parishad, ARSU unit of Goalpara and Kamrup districts, at the meeting, constituted a 15-member Rabha Hasong Coordination Committee with Manabendra Rabha and Anukul Rabha as convenor. The co-ordination committee has decided to work for the Rabhas in close association with the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; May 3, 2000)

SHILLONG, May 4: In a unique development, Opposition members in the Assembly constituted a 'shadow cabinet', under the name of United Meghalaya Opposition Forum (UMOF) on Wednesday. Taking a cue from the system followed in the British Parliament, the Opposition members, comprising the Congress , Hill state People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), Garo National Council (GNC) and a lone Independent, also decided to constitute what apparently seems to be the first 'shadow cabinet' of its kind to be formed anywhere in the country. The shadow cabinet system is followed in the British Parliament, where members of the Opposition parties form a 'cabinet' or a council wherein each member is given charge of a particular department along the same line that the government allots portfolios to its ministers. The member when has the responsibility of looking after the department(s) so allocated to him or her in the same way as the minister looks after his or her portfolio. He or she closely monitors the functioning and the policies of the department(s) allotted to him or her to ensure that the department(s) function in line with the policies as laid out on the floor of the Parliament. However, the shadow cabinet is not a parallel government, but functions as a watchdog to ensure that the government functions in the people's interest and as per the policies spelt out in Parliament. Leader of Opposition in the Meghalaya Assembly DD Lapang, who will head the shadow cabinet, is expected to formally convey to Chief Minister EK Mawlong about the formation of the shadow cabinet. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; May 5, 2000)

NEW DELHI, May 4: Close on the heels of the Karbi Students Association (KSA)-sponsored protest march in the capital last week, it was the turn of the Karbi Anglong-North Cachar Hills Autonomous state Demand Committee (KANCHASDCOM) to stage a demonstration demanding creation of an autonomous state under Article 244(A) of the Constitution. But today's protest march was different in that representatives of major political parties barring a few regional parties like the ruling AGP joined the dharna. The signatories to the memorandum submitted to the Central government including the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee included the BJP, Congress Party, Janata Dal (United), Karbi National Council, United People's Conference and the KSA, among others. Autonomous Statehood to Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar Hills district is not merely the political aspiration of the hill tribes of the area of Assam, but it will certainly provide highest autonomy practically adequate for their self-determination thereby to free themselves from being a burden on the nation and contribute their best towards the nation, claimed the KANCHASDCOM. The memorandum then goes on to add that in spite of the ideological differences as political parties functioning under diverse political high commands and purposes, for the greater interest of the Karbi Anglong and NC Hills Districts, all of them have come under banner of the KANCHASDCOM. The agitators also lambasted the Assam government charging that insincerity of the successive state governments towards their demands promoted by its political suppression, economic exploitation and socio-cultural domination of the people of the Karbi Anglong and the NC Hills gave birth to the KANCHASDCOM. Now it is the apprehension of the people that unless the two hill districts are elevated to the status of an autonomous state, the autonomy conferred to the two existing District Councils would always be found to be practically inadequate to safeguard their identities, interest and rights of the local people, they contended. (Staff Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; May 5, 2000)

IMPHAL, May 10: In a significant development, Opposition members of the Manipur Legislative Assembly have demanded a special session of the state Assembly in order to discuss the financial crisis. The decision to call a special session was taken in a meeting of the Opposition party MLAs held at the state Assembly conference hall in connection with the existing financial crunch in Manipur. The meeting which was attended by 18 Opposition MLAs also resolved to urge the state Chief Minister Wahengbam Nipamacha to make immediate arrangements for calling a special session to discuss the matter. It also urged the government to come out with a white paper on the financial crisis as assured by the Chief Minister during the last Assembly session. This may help save the state from total bankruptcy, Opposition MLAs felt. The meeting unequivocally condemned the enforcement of the outdated Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act, 1911 by the Wahengbam Nipamacha-led ministry. The Opposition MLAs also agreed that the political parties need a detailed discussion on it both within and without the special session. The law-and-order problem should also be discussed, they stressed. It said that under the Act, citizens cannot enjoy their rights freely. Besides, the present law-and-order situation has deprived the citizens of their rights to life and property. The meeting further felt the Act would curtail democratic right of the people. In a remote state like Manipur, any government may misuse the Act, it felt. The meeting also agreed to fight all problems being faced by the state inside and outside the Assembly. All the political parties must work out a strategy and consult their respective parties ahead of taking a final decision by the Opposition parties, the members present decided. The Opposition MLAs meeting was chaired by MLA K Amutombi of the Mayang Imphal Assembly Constituency in Imphal West district. Other MLAs present at the meeting were K Lokan, M Thorii, M Okendra, T Manga Vaiphei, L Kerani, M Manihar, N Nimai, K Chandra, K Ranjit, Radhabinod Koijam, H Borababu, O Joy, RK Dorendra, W Basantakumar, Nimaichand Luwang, D Shaiza and ex-MLA RK Ranbir. In the meantime BJP Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister of the state RK Dorendra has ridiculed the report that the BJP in Manipur may join the United Front ministry led by W Nipamacha. Talking to The Assam Tribune RK Dorendra said the United Front ministry is indulging in rampang corruption, rudderless and directionless. It is causing more problems than solving them. The BJP-led Manipur Democratic Alliance (MDA) has been working out plans to wrest the political power from the United Front ministry. Under the circumstances, there is no question of joining this ministry, he categorically said. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; May 11, 2000)

IMPHAL, May 12: The BJP legislators have reiterated that they are not ready to join the Manipur Chief Minister Wahengbam Nipamacha Singh-led United Front ministry with or without any condition. The decision of not joining the Nipamacha Singh ministry was taken in two separate meetings of the state council and state executive of the Manipur Pradesh BJP on Friday. The meeting was attended by the visiting national general secretary of BJP Govindacharya and secretary of the party and in-charge of the Northeast border states PB Acharya here. Most of the senior leaders of BJP also ridiculed the report that the BJP in Manipur may join the Nipamacha-led United Front ministry. On the contrary, the national leaders of the BJP along with state leaders are planning to topple the Nipamacha ministry by hook or by crook. It is no secret that BJP is spearheading an ouster campaign against the United Front ministry which is reeling under all kinds of problems, the most serious being the financial crisis in the state. Under the circumstances, there is no question of the BJP either supporting or participating in the UF ministry. This was comprehensively explained by a spokesman of the state BJP on Friday. Talking to The Assam Tribune, the spokesman further said that it was an exercise in futility that Nipamacha recently wrote a letter to the BJP national president Kushabhau Thakre to ask the state unit to join his government. BJP suspects that he had urged the national president to implement the partnership experiment between the BJP and the Manipur state Congress Party (MSCP) under the concept of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). However, what Nipamacha is planning is to pre-empt the chance of installation of a BJP-led ministry in Manipur. This is a vain attempt to display the carrot to the BJP legislators, he added. He further admitted that the BJP would expose the corruption-ridden Nipamacha ministry which is creating a financial crisis. Besides, the BJP will also try to install a people-oriented government after the self-destruction of the United Front ministry. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; May 13, 2000)