Assam: Biswajit Daimary demands implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord

Guwahati (Assam), Aug 1 2018:

Rajya Sabha member from Assam, Biswajit Daimary, has demanded the implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord which was signed by the then Rajiv Gandhi government and the All Assam Students’ Union in 1985 at the end of six-year long bloody Assam Agitation.

The Clause 6 of the Accord says: “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people”.

Daimary pointed out that the Accord was signed to give special status to the indigenous communities of Assam.

“The Accord provides protection to indigenous people of the state in the spheres of land, politics and socio-economic affairs. It has been 30 years that the Accord was signed but the Centre is yet to implement the Clause 6. Its non-implementation has created a sense of fear in the minds of locals. And adding to the fear is the Centre’s move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016,” Daimary said.

The Bill seeks to grant citizenship to the non-Muslim immigrants of Bangladesh besides Pakistan and Afghanistan who had fled to India in the face of religious persecution.

“Although the leaders of BJP, Congress and other political parties give commitments during elections, no MP discusses the issues of Assam or Northeast with the Centre,” he rued.