Panel’s suggestions can’t be implemented: Himanta

letters@hindustantimes.com GUWAHATI: Senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the government cannot implement the recommendations of the central panel on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord as those are “far from legal reality”.

This is the first time someone from the government spoke about recommendations of the report, which was submitted to Assam chief minister Sarbanando Sonowal on February 25 last year for handing it over to the Union home minister Amit Shah.

“The recommendations given by the committee are far from the reality of this land .... How can we implement them? said

Sarma.

“Why did the committee not consider Supreme Court judgements?,” he said.

As per the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. The bone of contention since the signing of the Accord on August 15, 1985 has been the definition of Assamese people, which the panel tried to fix as the tribal, indigenous and all other Indians residing within the territory of Assam as per the Constitution’s first schedule on or before January 1, 1951 and their descendants.