High-level committee meet Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss Clause 6 of Assam Accord

GUWAHATI: A high-level committee met Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss Clause 6 of Assam Accord which ensures ever-lasting constitutional safeguards on rights over politics, land, culture, language, and employment as well as trade and commerce of the Assamese, indigenous Assamese and other ethnic groups living in Assam.

According to reports, "The committee will assess the appropriate level of reservation of seats in Assam Legislative Assembly and local bodies for the Assamese people." Set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the committee was created to assess and recommend appropriate measures that can ensure the rights of indigenous people.

The four-member delegation led by Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma met Shah to inform him about the work of the committee. Post-meeting he informed reporters that several issues were discussed during the meeting including what constitutes the "definition of Assamese" and the base year of 1971 for the detection of foreigners.

Sharma said that a report will be finalised where all issues will be addressed.

Three AASU (All Assam Students' Union) leaders have decided not to attend Union Home Minister Amit Shah's meeting with the high-level committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord slated for Sunday in New Delhi.

The three AASU leaders – adviser-in-chief Samujjal Bhattacharya, president Dipanko Kumar Nath and general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi – are members of the high-level committee on Clause 6 of Assam Accord. According to the AASU leaders, they see no reason to sit for talks with the Union Home Minister after the amended Citizenship Act came into effect on Friday.

AASU's Samujjal Bhattacharya, said that Clause 6 is in no way linked or related to CAA, which paves the way to grant citizenship to illegal Bangladeshis who had entered Assam between 1971 and December 31, 2014.

The Assam Accord had set March 25, 1971, as the cut-off date for the detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshis from the State. On the other hand, under CAA non-Muslim illegal migrants from Bangladesh who had entered India between 1971 and December 31, 2014, will be eligible for Indian citizenship.

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