Assam CM Sarma: Clause 6 Implementation to Safeguard Assam's Cultural Identity

GUWAHATI: The Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while addressing his concern over demographic change on September 27, said that the BJP government is committed to protecting the interest of the people of the state.

He said that the administration was adopting preventive measures to ensure that the identity of Assam is preserved. He claimed that his government had a sound commitment to protect the interests of people of Assam and initiate steps for protecting the state from the looming demographic threat.

He also mentioned the steps already taken in safeguarding Assam's special identity and further measures would be conducted in conformity with the reports submitted by the Justice (Retd) Biplab Sarma Committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

He even took it further to describe the openness of his administration when he published the Committee's report. According to him, just like he promised, the report was availed to the nation as a way of objectively getting at what was the situation on the ground.

This was done after a meeting with AASU representatives, wherein Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had already begun implementing 52 recommendations from the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord-a decision announced by the Assam government earlier in the month.

It has been over four years since the Centre-constituted high-level committee submitted its report in February 2020.

Notably, however, the Chief Minister said, the implementing committee for its recommendations would not get to 15 of the key ones of the committee as these were said to require Constitutional amendments. He said that such matters would be taken up with the Centre at the appropriate forum, which he posted on X on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister further emphasized his administration's transparency by noting that, just as was promised, the Committee report had been made public before the nation could objectively understand facts on the ground.

The historic Assam Accord is described as a Memorandum of Settlement between the Union government, led by Rajiv Gandhi, and the leadership of the Assam Movement, mainly the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), signed in 1985. It brought an end to six years of agitation against the inflow of Bangladeshi migrants into the state of Assam.

Clause 6 of the agreement it was presumed that "Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people."

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