Clause 6 panel’s report yet to “reach” Centre

Source:-theshillongtimes

GUWAHATI: The report of the high-level committee constituted for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord is yet to reach the Centre, even after its submission to the Assam government in February this year.

“The high-level committee constituted by the ministry of home affairs on Clause 6 of Assam Accord has submitted its report to the government of Assam and its recommendations are under examination of the state government,” Union minister of state for home, G. Kishan Reddy, said in a written reply to a question on Wednesday.

The 14-member committee, headed by Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma, a former judge of Gauhati High Court, was constituted on July 15, 2019, to suggest measures and recommendations for implementation of Clause 6 of the Accord, which pertains to safeguards for the preservation and promotion of Assamese identity and heritage.

Peeved at the silence of the Assam government on the contents of the report and its implementation, the All Assam Students Union (AASU), had on August 11, 2020, broken the “confidentiality” of the report and made it public.

AASU’s chief advisor, Samujjal Bhattacharya, had last month said there was no clarity on whether the Assam government, which had received the report on behalf of the Centre in February, had handed it over to the Centre.

Meanwhile, the Union minister Reddy’s reply in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday has drawn flak from several quarters here.

“The answer given by the Union Home Ministry shows and demonstrates the perpetration of a fraud on the people of Assam on the issue of protecting their identity,” Upamanyu Hazarika, the convener of the anti-influx forum, Prabajan Virodhi Manch, said in a statement.

Sambhaji Chatrapati, a nominated member to the Rajya Sabha had asked four questions: whether the recommendations of the committee have been submitted to the central government; the nature of the recommendations; time the government is likely to take to examine the recommendations and the timeline for implementation of the recommendations.

“The questions have been answered with a bland assertion that the report has been submitted to the Assam government which is studying its recommendations,” Hazarika, a senior advocate of Supreme Court, said.

“In the first place, the committee is constituted by the central government with specific terms of reference. But the report has been submitted to the state government which is in breach of the terms of reference,” he said.

“The report, submitted way back in February, is yet to reach the central government. This clearly demonstrates that there was never any intention or desire to fulfill the electoral promises and Clause 6 of the Assam Accord for protection of indigenous people. It was merely a ploy to divert and distract attention,” Hazarika said.