Guwahati, May 11: Putting up a joint front against the Centre’s decision to scrap the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, over a dozen minority organisations today formed a coordination committee to stall the move by highlighting the inherent dangers it posed to religious and linguistic minorities of the state.

The United Minority Coordination Committee, formed under the chief convenorship of United Minority Front president Hafiz Rashid Choudhury, will take up a series of “nationwide” programmes to spread awareness about New Delhi’s move to scrap the Act.

The committee will...

SHILLONG, May 10 – Former chief minister of Meghalaya E K Mawlong has been replaced by Donkupar Roy, the Deputy Chief Minister, as the chief of United Democratic Party, the second largest constituent of the Congress-led coalition government in Meghalaya, reports PTI. Mawlong was the chief of the UDP from 1997.

Mawlong, whose coalition government fell on December 7, 2001 following alleged involvement in the controversial Meghalaya House deal in Kolkata and defeat in this year’s Assembly elections, was made an advisor to the UDP at Friday’s general council elections, party sources said. The UDP...

GUWAHATI, May 10 — The Assam cabinet adopted a resolution opposing the Union Cabinet’s approval to the repeal of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, as Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said the tabling of the Bill in the Parliament for repeal was a ‘political gimmick’ of the BJP-led NDA government. The resolution, adopted last night, pointed out that the Act was for providing security to Indian citizens. Gogoi told PTI here in an exclusive interview that his Congress government had lodged a protest with the Centre for its move to scrap the Act.

“We want illegal foreigners...

GUWAHATI, May 10—Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Asad Madani today cautioned that repeal of the IMDT Act might pose a serious threat to the existence of Assam as a language State. The Jamiat is opposed to any move to repeal the Act and will consistently fight out any such move. Instead of repealing the Act, it should be implemented all over the country to save the Indian Muslims from the harassment of the police in matters of determining their (Muslims) citizenship, he said.

Sri Madani who was talking to media persons at a press conference at the Circuit House here this afternoon...

GUWAHATI, May 10 – Three months have passed since the day the memorandum of settlement between the Central and State Governments and Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) was signed for setting up of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) under the provisions of amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, but till date even the interim council has not been formed and now it seems that even the formation of the interim body would be delayed till July.

Highly placed official sources admitted that bureaucratic red-tapism in various ministries of the Union Government delayed the preparation of the Bill for...