GUWAHATI: "The manner in which the State government, the Chief Minister and Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma keep making self-contradictory statements clearly demonstrates that the entire exercise of protecting indigenous rights through constitution of the Clause 6 committee is nothing but cheating the indigenous people," said Senior Advocate and convener of Prabajan Virodhi Manch (PVM) Upamanyu Hazarika.
He underlined that after having been exposed by the answer to the Parliament question by Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati last week that 8 months since the submission of the Committee's report it has been quietly shelved.
"Having been caught out the government comes out with yet another gem through Dr Sarma on Sunday that the State government will have the report examined by legal experts before submission to the Central government," he stressed.
Further, he said the committee was chaired by Justice Biplab Sarma former judge of the Gauhati High Court, the Advocate General of Assam Ramesh Borpatragohain and the Advocate General of Arunachal Pradesh Niyal Dutta being members.
"Are they not legal experts? Does the State government not consider its own Advocate General who is a Constitutional functionary to be a legal expert?" he questioned.
Hazarika alleged that since the very beginning and at every stage, the senior leaders of the government have unfortunately only given false assurances to the people without any intent of fulfilling them.
"During the constitution of the committee, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma quoting the Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the report of the committee will be implemented without changing any comma or full-stop. On Sunday, he again quotes the Union Home Minster as having instructed the State government to have the report examined by legal experts," he pointed out. It is clear from yesterday's statement that yet another round of false assurances is being handed out to the indigenous people of the State, he added.
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