The Narendra Modi government’s move to form a high-level committee for the effective implementation of Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord has been labelled a “poll gimmick” by political parties and organisations in Assam.
Clause 6 of the Assam Accord seeks to provide “constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards” to “protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.”
“This is an election stunt. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in power at the Centre for nearly five years. They have not fulfilled their promises about granting ST (Scheduled Tribe) status to six communities of Assam and have now come up with a new set of promises. But the people will not fall for their election stunt,” Gaurav Gogoi, Congress MP and spokesperson, said on Thursday.
The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which had ended a six-year agitation against illegal influx by signing the Assam Accord with the Centre in 1985, had a similar view.
“This is an attempt to placate the Assamese people angered by the BJP’s bid to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. After almost five years of sitting over the demand for implementing the Assam Accord, the BJP is talking about a committee when the Lok Sabha elections are near,” AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said.
“Panels are meaningless when there’s no intention to execute the decisions taken during our tripartite meeting with the Central and Assam governments last year. The move is the BJP’s blueprint to cheat the people of Assam,” the union’s president Dipanka Kumar Nath said.
The day also saw some 70 organisations headed by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) launch a renewed agitation programme against the Citizenship Bill, whose draft is set to be finalised by the Joint Parliamentary Committee. If passed by the Parliament, the Bill will legalise the stay of non-Muslims who migrated to India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan till December 31, 2014, allegedly because of religious persecution.
“Deciding to form a committee to assess the implementation of the Assam Accord signed 33 years ago is ridiculous since the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government’s term expires in three months. The panel ploy cannot divert us from the agitation against the Citizenship Bill,” KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi said.
Union Home Home Minister Rajnath Singh had on Wednesday said that the high-level committee would give its recommendations to the Centre for the effective implementation of the Assam Accord. He also said that the committee would discuss with all stakeholders and assess the quantum of reservation of seats for the indigenous communities in the Assam Legislative Assembly.
