Assembly sitting in Kokrajhar move to bring parliamentary democracy closer to people: Assam Speaker

Kokrajhar (Assam), Feb 16 (PTI) Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary on Sunday said holding the first-ever sitting of the House outside the state capital is an effort to bring parliamentary democracy closer to the people.

He emphasised that selecting Kokrajhar for the session holds special significance, as it reflects the government’s commitment to the development in all parts of the state, including tribal-dominated and Sixth Schedule areas.

"It is for the first time that the Assam Legislative Assembly will be held outside its main Hall. It is a historic day for the state," Daimary said in an interview with PTI at the Bodoland Territorial Council Legislative Assembly building here, where the first day’s sitting of the Budget session will be held on Monday.

He maintained that the objective behind holding the sitting here is to make people aware of the legislative procedures, as it is important in parliamentary democracy for the public to understand how Parliament and Assembly function.

"People should know what bills are coming and what laws and regulations will be framed. Only if citizens are aware of the government’s decision-making process, the state can run smoothly," the Speaker said.

Asked whether Kokrajhar’s selection was significant given its past as a hub for separate Bodoland movement, Daimary said such demands have subsided following the resolution of key issues concerning the region’s development.

"Some people in Bodoland believed that Assam was not taking any steps for development of these areas. That led to demands for a separate state and independent legislative powers to plan their own progress," he said.

"After the resolution of these concerns, Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) was created and now people feel that there is no differentiation between Guwahati and Kokrajhar by our leaders. There is no distinction between tribal or Sixth Schedule areas and other parts when it comes to development," Daimary asserted.

"For one day, the entire state of Assam will be taken care of from Kokrajhar tomorrow. People here will feel that they are not far from the administrative hub," he added.

The existing infrastructure of the BTC also helped in arranging for the assembly sitting, the Speaker added.

On special discussions slated for Monday in the House, Daimary said the topic ‘Socio-economic and all-round development of Sixth Schedule areas’ will be taken up under the Speaker’s initiative.

"The MLAs from these areas will put forth the issues here so that the government can formulate the right strategies. How the state government can further initiate development of all Sixth Schedule areas will also be a focus of the discussion," he added.

The Speaker also appealed to all MLAs to participate peacefully in the debates and discussions of the assembly so that members can smoothly put their views. PTI SSG SSG MNB

Source: PTI