Guwahati, Jan. 4: The Hills State Democratic Party (HSDP) — a new political entity created after dissolution of some Opposition parties and now-disbanded United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) — will launch a “mass political movement” from March demanding a separate state comprising Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.

HSDP president Chomang Kro today said there was no alternative for the people of the two hill districts but to seek separation from Assam for their political and economic empowerment.

He said they were forced to demand a separate state because of political, economic, social and cultural exploitation of the people of the two districts by the successive Congress governments in Dispur.

The members of political parties such as the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), ASDC (Progressive) and Karbi Anglong People’s Party (KAPP) along with leaders of now-disbanded UPDS had formed the HSDP during a two-day political convention at Diphu in Karbi Anglong on November 30, 2012.

Kro said even leaders of the BJP and AGP in Karbi Anglong have resigned from their respective parties and joined HSDP.

“The Opposition leaders and their supporters have sacrificed here individual political identity and came together to form a single political entity to fight for the betterment of the people of the two districts,” he said.

Former UPDS leaders, who had signed a tripartite memorandum of settlement (MoS) with the Centre and the state government on November 25, 2011, said they have lost faith in the government as even after more than one year no step has been taken to implement of the agreement.

“It had left us with no option other than reviving our statehood demand,” former UPDS chairman Longsodar Senar said.

He said when the MoS was signed, then Union home minister P. Chidambaram had given certain assurances to them but none of these assurances were fulfilled.

Senar said the MoS had failed, dealing a major blow to the government’s efforts to stem agitation and unrest in Karbi Anglong.

“We feel that the peace agreements signed by the government with the two factions of DHD (Dima Halam Daogah) will also meet the same fate as the MoS signed with us,” he said.

Chomang Kro said when the people of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts were given a choice during re-organisation of Assam in 1969, they decided to remain in Assam.

“However, that decision now seems to be a blunder as the goodwill of the people of the two districts were never acknowledged by Dispur and both the districts still remained neglected and backward,” Kro said.