MP Rakibul Hussain accuses state government of abandoning historic Assam Accord

Lok Sabha MP Rakibul Hussain launched a serious attack on the state government today, alleging that the current administration has systematically sidelined the Assam Accord, the landmark 1985 agreement that remains central to the state's identity and citizenship framework.

 

Speaking at a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati, Hussain accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of deliberately undermining the historic accord, which established March 31, 1971, as the definitive cut-off date for determining citizenship in Assam. The MP argued that this abandonment has rendered the entire National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise "meaningless."

 

The accusation strikes at the heart of Assam's most sensitive political issue. The Assam Accord, signed after years of anti-foreigner agitation, has been the cornerstone of the state's approach to immigration and citizenship for nearly four decades. Hussain's claim that the government is now sidelining this foundational document represents a major challenge to the administration's credibility on citizenship matters.

 

The MP highlighted a glaring contradiction in the Chief Minister's recent statements about the NRC. While the Union Home Ministry officially recognises the citizenship register, which was prepared following Assam Accord guidelines, the state's own Chief Minister has been publicly criticising it as containing "discrepancies."

 

"There appears to be a clear conflict between the Chief Minister and the Union Home Ministry regarding the NRC," Hussain stated, questioning whether this represents a fundamental breakdown in policy coordination between state and central authorities.

 

Hussain also exposed the state's mounting financial crisis, revealing that Assam now carries a staggering debt burden of Rs 1.52 lakh crore. This represents a complete reversal from the Chief Minister's earlier opposition to taking large loans, highlighting what the MP described as policy inconsistencies.

 

The MP accused the administration of using divisive issues like the "foreigner question" to distract from governance failures and unfulfilled electoral promises. He suggested that certain political figures are "holding the public hostage" by deliberately keeping contentious matters alive rather than focusing on development.

 

While declining to name specific individuals who allegedly celebrated the NRC's publication, Hussain emphasised that the document's recognition by central authorities makes the Chief Minister's criticism particularly problematic.