High-level committee higher in Status than sub-committee: BJP

Constitutional safeguards under Clause 6 of Assam Accord

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The State BJP claims that the proposed high-level committee for providing constitutional safeguards to the indigenous people of Assam as stated in the Assam Accord is higher in status than the sub-committee that was formed earlier for the same purpose. The Union Cabinet taking initiatives for such a high-level committee reflects the political will of the Central government to provide constitutional safeguards to the indigenous people of the State, the State BJP claims.

Talking to the media at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan at Hengrabari in Guwahati on Saturday, State BJP spokesperson Jayanta Mallah Baruah said: “Only the BJP has political will to implement the Assam Accord. In the past 34 years 17 tripartite talks on the Assam Accord were held, and nine of the talks were conducted when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. This shows the eagerness of the BJP to implement the Assam Accord.” Baruah said: “The September 23, 1998 tripartite talks with the then Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary GK Pillai in the chair did form a sub-committee for the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

However, since then the issue has been left incomplete. Now on January 2, 2019 the issue has been given a fresh impetus with the Union Cabinet taking a decision to form a high-level committee for the purpose. However, a section of organizations has been making misleading statement at the Centre’s move. The BJP believes in politics of solving problems, not in the politics of keeping problems alive. The BJP is committed to provide constitutional, administrative, political and linguistic safeguards to the indigenous people of Assam under the Assam Accord.” Baruah said: “Barring the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), we’re not going to heed to the statements being made on the Assam Accord by other parties and organizations. The NRC update in the State is possible only because of the BJP.”

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