Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has appealed to the All Assam Students Union (AASU) to play a role in the implementation of the Clause VI of the Assam Accord.
Assam CM Sonowal said the present State Government had assumed power with the commitment to secure jati, mati, bheti (community, home and hearth) as the government would “keep working to this end without any compromise”.
Speaking at a Bhogali Bihu celebration programme in Nagaon on Tuesday, Chief Minister Sonowal said for the last few days certain sections of the people of the State have cast aspersions on this avowed objective of the government.
However, Sonowal said, “As a son of the soil, I would like to assure everybody that there is no need of being apprehensive in Assam”.
Even after several years of Assam Accord no Government took any pragmatic steps for fulfilling the clauses of the Assam Accord.
“However, the present Government at the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took encouraging and practical step for fulfilment of Clause VI of the Assam Accord. Constitution of a high-powered committee is an example to Centre’s sincerity to give constitutional safeguard to the indigenous people of the State,” he said.
He also urged upon the AASU leadership to take exemplary step as a member of the high-powered committee to enable the Government to accord special rights to the people of Assam, Sonowal added.
It may be mentioned that the AASU leadership has already refused to be a member of the high-powered committee formed to implement the Clause VI of Assam Accord in protest against the Centre’s move to get the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 passed.
The Bill has already been passed in Lok Sabha although it is yet to get Rajya Sabha nod.
The Assam CM also said the Central Government under Prime Minister Modi to grant ST status to six communities passed a Bill in the Lok Sabha and introduced the same in the RS which will ensure protection of the rights of the people belonging to these communities in the State.
He also reiterated that rights of the people of Assam on jati, mati and bheti are secured and nobody should be under the impression that their rights will be violated under any circumstances.
Sonowal also asserted for ensuring rights of the indigenous people over land, the State Government for the first time in the history distributed land pattas to 11,500 landless families on one single day.
He also said to expedite the process, the Government would grant land pattas to one lakh indigenous families in the State in the next few months.
Moreover, to safeguard the interests of the small tea growers, the Government of Assam would also give land pattas to 1.30 lakh tea growers.
He also said his Government would continue its unrelenting tirade for a corruption-free, pollution-free, foreigners-free and militancy-free Assam.
Organised by the All Nagaon Bhogali Bihu Celebration committee, its president Dr. Nagen Kalita, Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, MLA Nagaon Rupak Sarma also spoke on the occasion.
Chairman of Assam Film Finance Development Corporation Limited Jatin Bora, secretary general of Asom Sahitya Sabha Padum Rajkhowa, and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.