GUWAHATI: As Assam prepares itself to face the assembly polls scheduled in 2026, the Assam Accord, specifically Clause 6 becomes one of the crucial debates in the political arena.
The main opposition party, Congress, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also solely focused on this vital issue.
Criticizing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Congress leader Ripun Bora said the Accord was used as a "political tactic" to gain support in elections. BJP leaders said they were committed to full-scale implementation of the Accord.
The Assam Accord was signed in 1985. It was one of the significant periods of Assam in political and social history. The Accord manifested as the result of a violent anti-foreigner movement that sought identification and expulsion of illegal immigrants.
The objectives of the Accord were to remove the anxiety of native people regarding demographic changes and the loss of their cultural identity.
Clause 6 of Assam Accord: Constitutional protection to the indigenous people of Assam. The recommendations of the said clause should concentrate on the following points:
reservation of seats in the Assam Legislative Assembly and other local bodies;
employment in Government Services with numerical proportion as were available on 1st March 1971;
Clause 7 of Assam Accord: Special provisions to those persons who are living in Assam but who, for cultural, social, or economic reasons, may not be enlisted in the general category of indigenous people.
Clause 6 demands the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and identity of Assam's diverse indigenous groups, so that their traditions and way of life can be protected.
This clause has emerged as the biggest talking point among political leaders ahead of state elections.
The ruling BJP, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at the top, has made much hay about being an Assam Accord-knit party and committed to its contents, particularly Clause 6.
CM Sarma has assured the people that his government is actually working on the recommendations given by the Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sarma Committee. It was formed to assist in the implementation of the Accord. The committee submitted its recommendations three years ago, and Sarma has promised to accelerate the process.
Suspicion has swirled around this sudden focus on the Assam Accord provisions by Chief Minister Assam, who is now apparently talking about the need to protect the indigenous population or as an election tactic.
Congress leader Ripun Bora is one of those more vocal in criticizing the approach BJP demonstrated in dealing with the Accord. Aware that the government has acknowledged its importance, Bora remains convinced that Sarma's recent action is politically motivated. The sudden urgency he has now developed, according to Bora, is out of anxiety over losing power in the elections coming up.
He said that though the Congress was a signatory to the Assam Accord initiated by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi it still upholds its totality.
But he has been critical as to whether the efforts of Sarma were at large voters' attractions rather than genuinely addressing the needs of the indigenous people.
He further expressed dismay that even after the claims of progress by the state government, the report was yet to reach the Centre for further action so that the things could be taken forward meaningfully.
To implement the Assam Accord and Clause 6 would mean a matter far beyond politics; it rather holds within it the identity and rights of the people of Assam. As the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress prepare themselves for the assembly elections in 2026, it shall be the take of the people on their commitment toward the Accord that would be a major factor in influencing public opinion.
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