No merit in demand for ‘constitutional safeguard’of Assamese people: BJSM

Our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR: Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Samity (BJSM) has said that there was no merit in asking constitutional safeguard for the Assamese people as vast part of the greater Assamese society included Pakistani intruders from 1951 to 1971 who had mingled with the Assamese.

The president of the BJSM, Janaklal Basuamtary said it was meaningless to ask implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord because they had conceded citizenship to Pakistani intruders from 1951 to 1971 in violation of constitutional provision granting citizenship rights to Pakistani migrants by registration only for the period of July, 1948 to December, 1949. He said they had already occupied land, adapted Assamese language and culture and become part of the greater Assamese society, at least as claimed by the Assamese intellectuals and renowned writers. He also said that no question of constitutional safeguard arose since there was nothing to safeguard the people of the same section of the greater Assamese society.

Basumatary said the only solution was the NRC update from 1951 in accordance with the provision of the Constitution under Articles 5,6,7 and 8. He also said the Assam Accord had violated these provisions by opting for NRC update with base year as 1971.

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