Congress asks Assam govt to first define the term ‘indigenous’

January 04: In a review meeting on the functioning of the revenue and disaster management department chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati, it was decided to provide land pattas to more than 40,000 landless indigenous people on 28 January. Reacting to it, the Congress has asked the state government to first define the term “indigenous.”

Assam Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia asked, “What will be the definition of ‘indigenous’ – because various people had come to Assam at various times. Muslims entered Assam from 12th century AD, the Ahoms came in 1226, the Bodo, Mishing and Miri among other tribes have been living here since ages, the tea-tribes came in 1850, and since 1905 – people from East Bengal have entered Assam. So, who among these will be identified as ‘indigenous’?”

On a similar note, All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) General Secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said that the state government needs to be more specific, and the approach should not be ‘election-centric’. “Who all will get land patta? Be it the son of the soil, or the Scheduled Tribes – they all have land issues. The government has to be more specific, ‘indigenous’ has to be well defined,” he said.

BJP spokesperson Mominul Awal clarified saying that people from areas “where there has been no illegal infiltration” would be able to avail the land pattas.