Staff Reporter
Guwahati: AASU will hold talks with the central government within the month of January on the issue of political and constitutional safeguards for the people of Assam, as per recommendations of the Justice (Retd.) Biplab Sharma Committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.
Regarding the implementation of the recommendations made by the Committee, AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya and president Utpal Sarma said before the media today that if political, constitutional and land rights of the people are not ensured, the Assamese people will have to bow down before the illegal Bangladeshi migrants. "To secure the future of the Assamese people, we have been raising our voices for the past 46 years. If timely implementation of the clauses of the Assam Accord had been made, the situation would not have turned critical and dangerous as it is now," they said.
Samujjal Bhattacharjya said, "We will discuss issues like 100% seat reservation from local bodies to MP elections, formation of an Upper House, introducing Inner Line Permit, job reservation in central government offices located in Assam, sealing of the border, etc., in the tripartite talks scheduled to be held by January 2026. We want results, and that is why we are going to sit with the central government. We have the right to ensure political and constitutional safeguards for our people. Out of the total of 67 recommendations, 52 are within the purview of the state government, 15 under the central government and 12 jointly. Many of the recommendations within the purview of the Assam government are in the implementation process. We want the recommendations in the hands of the central government to be implemented as soon as possible to secure the future of the Assamese people. A monitoring committee has been formed to look into the implementation of the recommendations by the state government."
Speaking on the subject, Utpal Sarma said, "We wanted that the rights to sell and purchase land should remain in the hands of the indigenous people, along the lines of the tribal belts in the state. We also want the setting up of a land tribunal. Also, inclusion of the Assamese language as a subject till Class 10 in all private schools situated in the Brahmaputra Valley. The state government has informed us that these suggestions are being implemented."
Samujjal Bhattacharjya reiterated that the Bangladesh border should be sealed. Electrification of the fencing along the border, deployment of a second line of defence, joint patrolling by BSF and Assam Police, shoot-at-sight orders for infiltrators attempting to enter Assam, etc., are some of the other demands raised by Bhattacharjya.
Regarding the NRC, both leaders stated that the state and central governments should move the Supreme Court for reverification of the NRC. They said that AASU is also going to file a writ petition in the SC. It is clear that there are irregularities in the updating process of the NRC. ECI has stated SIR will be conducted on the basis of the NRC, and if the NRC itself is not accurate, there is no point in conducting SIR in the state. Until the reverification process is completed, the people included in the NRC should not be issued identity cards, and those excluded should not be issued rejection slips, they said.
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