Guwahati, May 26 : The Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Gorlosa) has sought a hike in the subsistence allowance provided to it by the Centre, alleging discrimination.
In a memorandum, which was submitted to chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday and released to the media today, the outfit states that it is given Rs 15 lakh per month as subsistence allowance to take care of the daily expenses of more than 400 cadres lodged in three designated camps, while Ulfa is given Rs 40 lakh per month for 300 cadres staying in one designated camp.
“How can the government justify that?” the outfit asked. “In the light of the above facts, we implore you to do justice,” it states, seeking a hike in the allowance. The DHD (J) has also demanded treatment similar to that enjoyed by Ulfa.
The outfit states in the memorandum, signed by its self-styled deputy chairman P. Dimasa, that it feels betrayed and deceived by the government. It states that when its cadres ceremonially laid down arms en masse on October 2, 2009 in the presence of Gogoi, they were told that their genuine grievances would be resolved within a year. “But unfortunately, nearly one-and-a-half years have passed and we still do not see any sign of our issues being resolved.”
The outfit is demanding an autonomous “state within a state” for Dima Hasao (formerly North Cachar Hills) district under Article 244A of the Constitution. It also wants general amnesty for all its cadres, unconditional release of its cadres who are in custody, a separate parliamentary constituency for Dima Hasao and a special economic package for the development of Dimasa-dominated areas.
The DHD (J), which is in ceasefire with the government, maintains that though its cadres have laid down arms to pave the way for peaceful negotiation and its demands are within the ambit of the Constitution and do not include sovereignty, the government has failed to reciprocate their good gesture.
It points out that the Ulfa leaders, who want sovereignty for Assam and have neither surrendered nor laid down arms, have been released from jail while DHD (J) leaders, including chairman Jewel Gorlosa and commander-in-chief Niranjan Hojai, are still in jail despite surrendering arms.
“Moreover, we continue to be hounded and traumatised by different investigating agencies,” it alleges. The DHD (J) warned that such discrimination could have an adverse impact on the ongoing efforts to bring lasting peace to the state through negotiations.
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