AASU releases confidential report on Clause 6 of Assam Accord
Irked over New Delhi’s delay in taking note of recommendations by the high-powered committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which was a part of the committee, here on Tuesday released a confidential report, saying that the public has the right to know the contents.
The AASU leaders and another committee member and senior advocate Nilay Dutta, who is also the advocate general of Arunachal Pradesh, told reporters that they are releasing it only because the “government is just sitting idle”.
Regretting that it has been more than five months since the committee submitted the report and there is no action from the government, AASU chief advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya said,
“People are asking us daily what happened to our report. We have finally decided to release it as the people have the right to know.”
The Clause 6 of the Assam Accord proposes to provide Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.
The committee in its recommendation has also proposed that those who are living in Assam since January 1951 and their descendants should be treated as “Assamese”. It is significant that since the signing of the Assam Accord the definition of Assamese people has been the ‘bone of contention’.
The high-level committee on the implementation of Clause 6, headed by Justice (retd) B.K. Sharma, had submitted the report on February 25, to Chief Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal for handing it over to Union home minister Amit Shah. The chairman of the committee had submitted the report to the Chief Minister in the presence of the entire state cabinet, top government officials and journalists.
Expressing anguish over the Central government for not taking note of their recommendation as yet, Bhattacharya said, “We do not know where the report is. Is it in the Chief
Minister’s almirah or somewhere? Has it been sent to Delhi? It is not acceptable to neglect the report this way.”
The report sought to implement the Assam Accord in letter and spirit, and also asked the government for prompt measures to seal the IndiaBangladesh border. It proposed reservation of 80-100 per cent in parliament and assembly seats of the state for Assamese, while recommending creation of an
Upper House in Assam. It also recommended Inner Line Permit for Assam besides 80 to 100 reservations for locals in group C & D category jobs of central government in the state.
When asked if there will be any legal implication for making the report public, senior advocate Dutta said that it will not have any repercussions. The Union home ministry had in January last year formed the committee.