Exclude Northeast from UCC: ITSSA to President, PM Narendra Modi

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: A delegation of the Indigenous Tribal Sahitya Sabha, Assam (ITSSA) submitted memoranda to President Draupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and others on a slew of demands, including the exclusion of the Northeast from the UCC (Unified Civil Code).

The ITSSA has sought exclusion of the tribal faith, tradition, and culture of Assam from the purview of the Unified Civil Code (UCC) Bill so as to ensure the natural flow of their age-old tradition, language, faith, and culture without any break, as all the tribal people of the Northeast region, including Assam, are expressing their strong resentment on the proposed Bill.

“ITSSA, therefore, earnestly requests your honour to take necessary steps to exclude the Northeast region from the purview of the UCC Bill with a view to ensuring the building of a great and stronger Indian nation through the motto of Unity in Diversity,” a press note issued by ITSSA said.

The ITSSA raised other demands, including introducing the Mising, Rabha, Tiwa, and Deori mother tongues as medium of instruction till Class V, the Karbi mother tongue as medium of instruction till Class VIII, upgrading the Bodo language from Class X to Class XII, the Garo mother tongue from Class VIII to Class XII, and the Dimasa mother tongue as a language subject from Class I. It sought a directive from the Central Government to the Assam Government to introduce the mother tongues of the indigenous tribal people of Assam as medium of instruction.

ITSSA also opposed the introduction of mathematics and science textbooks in Class VI in English medium in vernacular schools in Assam. The ITSSA delegation raised the issue of encroachment upon lands in tribal blocks and belts in Assam. It raised the demand for ensuring the eviction of encroachers of tribal lands in Assam in accordance with Clause 10 of the Assam Accord, Chapter X of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulations, 1886, and as per the order of the Gauhati High Court.

On the present situation in Manipur, the ITSA said, “The unfortunate and shameful incident that took place in Manipur on May 4, 2023, which went viral in the media, has made India ashamed in the eyes of the world. Such barbaric acts have crossed all the limits of human dignity and civilized society. The incident is strongly and vehemently condemned in unequivocal terms. We demand to apprehend all the miscreants connected with the heinous crime and barbaric acts and to inflict severe punishment on them so that such a crime will not be repeated in the future.”

The ITSSA is a conglomerate of eight tribal literary bodies, viz., Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Dimasa Sahitya Sabha, Deori Sahitya Sabha, Garo Sahitya Sabha, Karbi Sahitya Sabha, Mising Sahitya Sabha, Rabha Sahitya Sabha, and Tiwa Sahitya Sabha of Assam, having nomenclature in their respective languages.

Also READ:   UDP Expresses Reluctance on Uniform Civil Code, Urges Clarity from Indian Government

Also Watch: