16th Assam Assembly: Opposition Left with Only Two Assamese MLAs

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Can the opposition in the 16th Assam Legislative Assembly rise to the occasion to raise important issues, especially those concerning the indigenous people of the state? Such a question arises, as the combined opposition in the state house has 22 legislators belonging to the religious minority and only two Assamese.

Barring Dr Jay Prakash of the Congress and Akhil Gogoi of the Rajor Dal, the rest of the MLAs belong to religious minorities. Even if the government performs well in all aspects, the Constitution of India attributes a crucial and constructive role to the opposition's ability to raise various problems in a state. The Assam Assembly sessions in the past reflected certain limitations among the minority MLAs. As often as not, they play a defensive role when it comes to issues like encroachment and eviction drives, infiltration and deportation of foreigners, the UCC (Uniform Civil Code), etc., that have much to do with the interests of the indigenous people of the state. Who will raise such issues on the floor of the state Assembly now? This is a crucial question. MLA Dr. Joy Prakash Das also faces limitations because he is a member of the Congress party, which has only 19 MLAs. Raijor Dal has two MLAs: Akhil Gogoi, an Assamese, and Mehboob Muktar, a religious minority. The AIUDF also has two, and the TMC has one: Sherman Ali Ahmed.

The treasury bench with 102 legislators will certainly dominate the 24-member Opposition. In the past, the Congress, as the main opposition party, had some Assamese legislators with grit who could raise indigenous issues and take an active part in heated debates. In the 16th Assembly, the opposition, it seems, will not likely have that grit, as they currently lack strong Assamese legislators who are willing to advocate for indigenous issues and engage actively in debates. Nothing can be more unfortunate than the Congress, which ruled Assam for decades, having only one Assamese legislator. The indigenous leaders of the party have completely lost their influence within the House, which has resulted in a diminished representation of indigenous issues in legislative discussions and decisions.

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