The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) on Saturday told the high-powered committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord that all persons settled in Assam until March 25, 1971, should be considered “Assamese” and be given constitutional safeguard.
An AIUDF delegation met the committee here on Saturday and submitted a memorandum of its suggestions. Several other political and apolitical organisations, including the Assam Congress and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), also met the committee during the day.
The suggestion of AIUDF came a day after senior pro-talks Ulfa leader Anup Chetia-led Indigenous Forum, Assam, told the committee that if constitutional safeguard is provided to foreigners, who migrated to Assam between 1951 and 1971, the indigenous people of the state would face an identity crisis.
The AIUDF said the committee’s recommendations to the Centre on implementation of Clause 6 should be such that they give equal justice to all sections of people and do not suffer any legal infirmity.
“The AIUDF fully supports and agrees to all positive measures to be taken for protection of Assamese and other indigenous languages of Assam and also for protection, preservation and promotion of cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the indigenous tribal, indigenous Assamese and other indigenous people of Assam,” the AIUDF memorandum said.
The committee, in its public notices, has been using terms like “indigenous tribal”, “indigenous Assamese” and “other indigenous people of Assam” instead of “Assamese”.
However, the AIUDF reminded the committee that no laws have been framed either by Parliament or the state Assembly giving any definition to the term “indigenous people of Assam.” It said the legal definition of the term “indigenous inhabitant of Assam” requires to be settled first before making any positive recommendation.
The PCC, on the other hand, reiterated its faith on the Clause 6 of the Accord before the committee. The Congress delegation wanted to know the basis of classifying the term “Assamese” as “indigenous tribal”, “Assamese indigenous” and “other indigenous people”. “The committee did not elaborate in detail. It said the term Assamese is allergic to many in the state,” said PCC spokesperson Durga Das Boro, who was part of the Congress delegation that met the committee.
Lawyer and former All Assam Students Union (AASU) leader Nekibur Zaman also met the committee and said the government should take measures for protection of six communities — Goriya, Moriya, Desi, Joloha, Pangal and Kacharis — in the Barak Valley. “These communities have been worst affected by immigrants,” he said.