Northeastern students demands special constitutional status for region

The North Eastern Students Organization (NESO) held a conference that concluded recently, demanding special constitutional status for the Northeast to ensure the all–round development of the region.

NESO's chairman Samujjal Bhattacharya, a former president of the All Assam Student's Union (AASU), said that the resolution was taken in the fourth conference of the NESO and the organizations will organize a region–wide movement to press its demands.

A memorandum containing the demands was recently presented to the government, he said.

NESO has also demanded complete sealing of the border with Bangladesh, he told reporters. Taking advantage of the long border, unmanned at several parts, terrorists, Muslim fundamentalists and ISI activists are infiltrating the region to carry out subversive activities, he said.

Bhattacharya warned that the demography of the northeast would be changed and serious ethnic problems would crop up unless infiltration was stopped.

NESO has also demanded the setting up of an education commission to frame proposals for imparting proper education and introducing modern and effective courses in universities to stop brain drain from the region.