Don’t confuse people by linking Clause 6 with CAA: Samujjal Bhattacharya

AASU WARNS DELHI & DISPUR

The students’ organization submitted proposals to the Centre for ensuring Constitutional safeguards way back in 1986, 1993 & 1998

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has warned both Delhi and Dispur not to confuse the people by linking the Clause 6 of Assam Accord with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) even as the influential students’ organization has been submitting proposals to the governments for the last 34 years to ensure Constitutional safeguard to indigenous people of the State.

AASU’s chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya while interacting with reporters at Swahid Nyas here on Sunday afternoon, said that Clause 6 is meant to provide Constitutional safeguard to the indigenous people of the State for taking the burden of illegal Bangladeshis who had come to the State between 1951 and 1971 as per the Assam Accord.

He added that Clause 6 is in no way linked or related with the CAA, which paves the way to grant citizenship to the 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 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.

Stating that the CAA has violated the fundamental spirit of the Assam Accord, Bhattacharya said, “But the governments in Delhi and Dispur are confusing and misleading the people by linking the CAA with their efforts to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. Such attempts of the governments are completely unjustified. Assam cannot afford to take the burden any Bangladeshi who entered the State after March 25, 1971. We warn the government not to befool the people,” he said.

According to Bhattacharya, the AASU had first submitted its proposals to effectively implement the Clause 6 to ensure Constitutional safeguard to indigenous people of Assam, to the then Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi in August 14, 1986. The students’ organization submitted an enhanced list of proposals on Clause 6 to the then Prime Minister and the then Home Minister of the country in 1993. AASU’s consistent pursuance had compelled the Centre way back in 1998 to constitute a high-powered nine-member committee headed by the then Joint Secretary of Union Home Ministry, GK Pillai, to implement the Clause 6. The Pillai Committee had even approved the AASU’s proposal of reserving 100 per cent seats for indigenous people in local bodies, Assembly and Parliament.

Citing various AASU’s proposals to implement the Clause 6, Bhattacharya said, “The students’ organization has been demanding 100 per cent reservation of seats for the indigenous people in local bodies, Assembly and Parliament; exclusive rights of the indigenous people over land and other natural resources in the State; creation of an upper House having representatives from various ethnic communities; introduction of the Inner Line Permit; 100 per cent job reservation in Central, semi-Central, Central PSU, State government and private organization for the local people of the State; safeguarding the Xatras, historical monuments and sites and also preserving and developing Assamese as well as other indigenous languages.

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