‘Himanta Biswa is misleading Assam’: AASU
GUWAHATI: Hours after Assam’s senior cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the recommendations by the high power committee for implementation of Assam Accord’s Clause 6 were far from legal reality, All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) whose leaders were a part of the committee blamed Sarma of misleading the people of the state.
The student group also came down heavily on the state’s chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and termed him as a ‘traitor’.
AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath said, “Has the minister (Sarma) forgot that the committee was headed by former Gauhati high court judge Justice (retd) Biplab Kumar Sarma as chairman? It also included two advocate generals of two states and former top government officials. The committee had prepared its report and recommendations keeping all legal aspects in concern.”
Besides the chairperson, the high power committee to implement Clause 6 of Assam Accord included Ramesh Borpatragohain, Advocate General, Assam, Niloy Dutta, Advocate General, Arunachal Pradesh, Subhash Das, former IAS, Pallav Bhattacharya, former IPS, Dr. Srishtidhar Dutta, retired professor, Sumanta Chaliha, author and columnist, Dr. Jaikanta Sharma, professor &columnist, Wasbir Hussain, senior journalist, Samujjal Bhattacharya, Chief Adviser, All Assam Student Union (AASU), Dipanka Kumar Nath, President, All Assam Student Union (AASU), Lurinjyoti Gogoi, General Secretary, All Assam Student Union (AASU) and Joint Secretary, MHA Satyendra Garg as member secretary.
The committee had submitted its recommendations before the state chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in February 2020.
“It’s been over a year that the state government is sitting ideal on the report. The recommendations also included provisions of further discussion between the government and the committee in case of any ‘doubts’. But despite the report was prepared by seasoned legal experts, Sarma is trying to mislead the state by making such comments,” Nath added.
AASU also announced to intensify its protests demanding the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord in its true ‘letter and spirit’.
“CM Sarbananda is afraid of New Delhi and he has betrayed the people of the state. But AASU is not scared of Centre and will continue our fight for Clause 6 till its implementation,” the student leader said.
Earlier, alleging that the government was ‘sitting idle’ on the issue, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) who were part of the committee, had released the confidential report, saying that the public has the right to know the contents.
Clause 6 of the Assam Accord envisages the constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to the indigenous people of Assam to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the greater Assamese community.
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