Meeting on implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord takes place

March 24: the 3rd meeting of the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord was held at the Assam Administrative Staff College at Khanapara in Guwahati on Thursday. The meeting chaired by Cabinet Minister Atul Bora was also attended by ministers Pijush Hazarika & Jogen Mohan, All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) represented by its Chief Advisor Samujjal Bhattacharjya, President Dipanka Kumar Nath and General Secretary Shankar Jyoti Barua.

AASU representatives asserted that more meetings on this issue were needed before arriving at any conclusion. They further stated that rights of the indigenous people needs to be protected. The BK Sharma Committee has submitted timely report for implementation of clause 6. AASU Advisor Samujjal Bhattacharjya opined that every recommendation of the report needs to be implemented. He also argued that AASU will not accept the NRC. “The NRC is full of flaws as it has not followed the Supreme Court’s directive,” stated Samujjal Bhattacharjya.

Expressing his views, “I attended the third meeting of the sub-committee organized by the Assam Government and All Assam Students Union on 7th September under the leadership of Honorable Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma. In this meeting held at Assam Administrative Office, Guwahati, a fruitful discussion was held regarding the proper implementation of the Clause 6 of Assam Accord for the purpose of preservation of Assamese indigenous language, culture, social and linguistic identity and history.

It needs mention here that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal submitted the Clause 6 Committee report to Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi in March 2020. Earlier, Chairperson of the Clause 6 Committee and former Gauhati High Court judge Biplab Kumar Sarma handed over the report to the then CM Assam. The nearly-150 page report has the definition of “Assamese people” and has a number of recommendations for effective implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. The recommendations have triggered a wave of criticism in the state over the 1951 cut-off date to make one eligible for benefits under Clause 6.