Ruckus in House over Assam Accord implementation

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Legislative Assembly today witnessed a noisy altercation between the ruling coalition and the Congress over the implementation of the Assam Accord. When the government accused the Congress of not doing anything worthwhile on the implementation of the Assam Accord when they were at the helm of affairs, an agitated Congress staged a walkout, but not before a ruckus.

Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia raised a slew of queries regarding the implementation of the Assam Accord during the Question Hour. He wanted to know what the State Government has done for the implementation of Clause V and Clause VI of the Assam Accord, besides the definition of Assamese. He also wanted to know if the Government had changed the cut-off date for the detection of foreigners.

Responding to the queries, Assam Accord Implementation Minister Atul Bora said, “We have been associated with the Assam Accord since our students’ lives. The Assam Accord is the outcome of a long movement when the Congress was in power at the Centre and in the State. The Congress was in power in Delhi and Dispur for a long period after the signing of the Assam Accord. They, however, stopped short of implementing the Assam Accord and instead imposed the IM (DT) Act. You (Congress) should feel a prick of conscience asking such questions to others.”

This statement made the Congress members stand on their feet and raise a hue and cry inside the House. The members of the ruling coalition also joined the ruckus. Amidst the ruckus, Minister Bora said, “Our Chief Minister is more serious about the implementation of the Assam Accord than us. It was the Congress that paved the way for the infiltration of Bangladeshis into Assam.”

Debabrata Saikia then dared Minister Bora to prove that the Congress had paved the way for the implementation of Bangladeshis in Assam.

Congress MLA Jakir Hussain Sikdar said, “The AGP was in power in the state for two terms, and the BJP-led government has been in power for seven years. What have you done on the implementation of the Assam Accord during this period? What is the view of the Assam Government in the case going on in the Supreme Court regarding the cut-off date for the detection of foreigners?”

Atul Bora said, “The State Government has taken plans to implement the Assam Accord. The government has even formed a committee with myself as the chairman, ministers Ajanta Neog and Pijush Hazarika, and four AASU leaders as members for the implementation of Clause VI of the Assam Accord. We have already held four meetings, and two or more are in the pipeline. Based on the report of this committee, the government will go ahead. Since the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) is a subject of the Central Government, we have nothing to say on that. The Congress talking about the Assam Accord sounds something like ‘bhootor mukhot Ram nam’ (the devil quoting scripture).”

This statement made the Congress members even more agitated, and they staged a noisy walkout.

After the walkout of the Congress, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika said, “I was in the Congress for seven years, during which I was an MLA, besides being the president of the Assam Pradesh Youth Congress. During my seven-year stint in the Congress, I never heard the party discuss the implementation of the Assam Accord. The Congress hates the Assam Accord. Now, they talk of the Assam Accord riding on the CAA.”

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