Speaker meets all stakeholders

ASSAMESE DEFINITION

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, March 29: A marathon meeting between Speaker Prab Kumar Gogoi and all the organizations concerned, including the All Assam Students Union (AASU), on the filization of the Assamese definition issue, was held in the Assembly here on Sunday in presence of State Revenue Minister Bhumidhar Barman.

After the meeting, the AASU made it clear that irrespective of caste, creed, language and religion, those whose mes were included in the 1951 NRC are the indigenous people of the State and they should be given constitutiol safeguards.

AASU advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharjee said constitutiol safeguards are a must for the indigenous people, given the rising influx of Bangladeshis into the State.  

Bhattacharjee said by starting the debate on the Assamese definition issue, the State government is trying to derail the process of updating the tiol Register of Citizens (NRC). “We have also demanded 100 per cent reservation of seats for the indigenous people in Parliament, the State Assembly and civic bodies, like the people who belong to SC and ST communities,” he said, adding, “A tripartite meeting once held between the students’ body, the Assam government and the Central government put stress on the reservation of seats for indigenous people in governce.”

In today’s meeting, the AASU also referred to the judgments passed by the Supreme Court and the Gauhati High Court about the presence of illegal Bangladeshis in the State.

The Supreme Court, in its judgment, had observed that Assam has been experiencing interl disturbances due to continuous cross border infiltration. The High Court, in its judgment, had observed that many illegal Bangladeshis have successfully included their mes in the voters’ list and they have become kingmaker in State politics.

The Speaker, after the meeting with AASU representatives and representatives of 26 other indigenous organisations, met the representatives of the AAMSU, the Char Chapori Sahitya Parishad, the Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan and the Asom-Miyan (Asomiya) Parishad.

The AAMSU representatives said those who came to Assam after March 25, 1971 can be treated as Assamese. The AAMSU, however, made it clear that it cannot accept the AASU’s definition of Assamese people.

Speaker Prab Kumar Gogoi, after the meeting, said, “A fil discussion on the fixing of the Assamese definition was held today. I have taken opinions of all the organisations concerned which participated in today’s meeting. I will place these opinions in the House within the next two days. After a thorough discussion in the House, a fil decision will be taken on the Assamese definition.”