Tripartite talks on Assam Accord implementation likely by January 2026: Minister

The long-pending tripartite talks between the Centre, the Assam government and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on the implementation of the Assam Accord are likely to take place by January next year, the Assam Assembly was informed on Wednesday.

Responding to a query from AGP MLA Ramendra Narayan Kalita, Implementation of Assam Accord Minister Atul Bora said AASU has requested the government to hold the talks on the execution of Clause 6 of the Accord, which deals with constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect the cultural, social and linguistic identity of the Assamese people. He added that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has already taken the initiative to begin the process and contacted the Union Home Ministry. Accordingly, tripartite talks are expected to begin by January.

Bora informed the House that the Justice Sharma Committee, constituted to examine Clause 6, had submitted 67 recommendations, of which 40 fall under the jurisdiction of the state government. The committee had submitted its report to the Assam government on February 25, 2020, and the report was later forwarded to the Centre after the formation of a High-Level Committee by the Union Home Ministry.

The minister recalled that in October 2021, the state government had set up an eight-member committee to prepare a framework for implementing all clauses of the 40-year-old Accord within three months. He stated that some recommendations had already been implemented, including the recognition of Assamese, Bodo and other indigenous communities in various state policies.

The Assam Accord, signed in 1985 after the six-year-long anti-foreigner movement, mandates the detection, deletion from electoral rolls and deportation of all foreigners who entered Assam after March 25, 1971. As per official records, out of 1,35,901 persons identified as illegal foreigners in Assam since 1977, only 1,416 have been deported so far.

Bora reiterated that the government remains committed to honouring the Accord in letter and spirit and will continue to work on measures safeguarding the identity and rights of the indigenous population.