Assam problem, 35 year old Assam compromise and its section 6

Context


With the formation of a high-level committee to implement Section 6 of the Assam Accord, the Central Government approved certain measures of the agreement and measures for certain matters related to the Bodo community. This decision has been taken by the Government in view of the fact that even after 35 years of the Assam Accord, its Section-6 has not been fully implemented.

Why was the Assam agreement?

  • In 1971, when violent action was initiated by the Pakistani army against East Pakistan (present Bangladesh), about 10 lakh people took refuge in Assam.
  • Most of them returned after Bangladesh was formed, but still a large number of Bangladeshi people were living illegally in Assam. 
  • Even after 1971, when Bangladeshi illegally used to come to Assam, the locals felt that these people would capture their resources.
  • In this way, changes in population have created a feeling of linguistic, cultural and political insecurity among the native inhabitants of Assam.
  • In response to this, a movement started around 1978, which was led by the youth and student organizations in the hands of All Assam Students Union (AASU) and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP). 
  • At the same time, this demand also caught hold of the solution of the problem of foreign intruders before the assembly elections. 
  • In addition to sending back the Bangladeshis, the agitators demanded to send back those who came to the state after 1961 or to settle them elsewhere. The agitation overcame these issues and the situation of political instability arose. 
  • In the 1983 assembly elections, the state's large population boycotted voting. Meanwhile, there was massive violence in the name of tribal, linguistic and communal identity in the state. The situation was so worrisome that in the 1984 general elections, elections were not held in 14 parliamentary constituencies of the state.

What is Assam's compromise?

  • In the process of negotiation for the agreement after intense intruders in Assam, since the long movement since 1979 and the severe violence of 1983, the process of negotiation began.
  • As a result, on August 15, 1985, there was an agreement between the central government and the agitators, which   is known as the Assam Accord .
  • The agreement between All Assam Students Union (AASU) and a few other organizations and the Indian government is called the Assam Accord.
  • According to the Assam Accord, all Bangladeshi nationals who came to Assam after March 25, 1971 will have to go here, whether they are Hindus or Muslims.
  • Under this agreement, it was decided to give full citizenship and voting rights to all those who came to Assam from 1951 to 1961. 
  • Under this agreement, people who came to Assam from 1961 to 1971 were given citizenship and other rights, but they were not given the right to vote.
  • Paragraph 5.8 of this agreement says that foreigners who come to Assam on March 25, 1971 or thereafter will be expelled according to the law. Immediate and practical steps will be taken to get such foreigners out.
  • Elections were dissolved in 1985 by the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly under which the newly formed Assam Gana Parishad got majority and AASU president Praful Kumar Mahant became the Chief Minister of Assam.
  • The package was also given package for economic development of Assam and special legal and administrative measures were taken to protect the cultural, social and linguistic identity of Assamese speaking people.
  • Along with this, amendment was also done in the voters' list on the basis of Assam agreement. 

Issue of NRC


National Register of Citizens or National Register of Citizens is NRC, which is designed to include details of all Indian citizens. But the interesting thing is that NRC has been created only in Assam across the country. The terms and conditions of this update are given in the Citizenship Act, 1955 and citizenship (Registration of citizens and issuance of national identity card) Rules, 2003. The Assam government and the Indian government are working together to update the NRC.
Significantly, in 2005, it was decided to update the NRC of 1951, but the matter did not go forward. According to an estimate, the population of Muslims in Assam is more than 34 per cent, and 85 per cent of them are those who have come from outside. Most of them are Bangladeshi, who used to come in different times and live in different parts of the state. Later the matter went up to different courts and in 2015 all the cases were gathered and brought under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Currently, under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the NRC is being updated in Assam.

What will the high level committee do?


The government has constituted a high level committee to suggest ways to effectively implement the Assam Accord in cold storage for more than three decades. The government has also decided to take several steps to resolve pending issues related to the Bodo community.
  • This committee will give recommendations related to constitutional, legislative and administrative protective measures in terms of Section 6 of the Assam Accord.
  • The implementation of Section 6 of the Assam Accord will evaluate the effect of the work done since 1985.
  • Will discuss with all stakeholders and assess the number of seats for Assamese people for reservations in Assam Assembly and local bodies.
  • Suggest ways to preserve Assamese and other local languages.
  • Suggesting ways to fix percentage of reservation in employment under Assam Government
  • Assamese will assess the need for other measures to safe, protect and encourage the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the people.
  • The formation of the committee will pave the way for the implementation of the Assam Accord fully and it will fulfill the long standing expectations of the people of Assam.

What is Bodoland's issue?

  • The Bodo Brahmaputra is the largest tribe of Assam inhabited in the northern part of the valley.
  • Since the 1960s, Bodo has been demanding separate state for himself.
  • Bodo resentment is the problem of settling in other communities on their land and increasing pressure on land.
  • The Bodo movement for the different state became violent after the 1980s and was divided into three factions. The first was led by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, who wanted a separate state for itself. The second group is the Bodoland Tigers Force, which demanded more autonomy. The third faction is the All Bodo Students Union, who sought a political solution seeking a middle path.
  • In 2003, Bodo sought the domination of his area's politics, economy and natural resources. Then Bodo groups agreed to leave the path of violence and enter mainstream politics.
  • The result of this was that the Bodo Agreement was signed in 2003 and the Bodoland Regional Council was constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Government has given the latest approval

  • Apart from implementing the Assam Accord, the Central Government has also approved various measures for the long pending cases related to the Bodo community.
  • In view of dissatisfaction in the Bodo community, the Central Government has approved the establishment of the Bodo Museum-cum-Language and Cultural Studies Center.
  • The All India Radio Station and Doordarshan Kendra, currently working in Kokrajhar, will be modernized.
  • It has also approved the name of a Superfast train named Aronie Express, which is a part of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD).
In Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District, about 30 percent of the population of Bodo tribe is in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baxa and Udalgudi.
    • The State Government will take necessary steps in relation to land policy and land laws and will establish institutions for local communities customs, traditions and linguistic research and documentation.

    Section 6 of Assam Accord


    Section 6 of the Assam Accord provides the provision of proper constitutional, legislative and administrative measures for the protection and promotion of cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese. The Committee will review the steps taken so far since 1985 to implement these provisions.
    The issue of Assamese versus outsiders in the state is not new, but since the country's independence, it has been at the top of the fiery issues there. The National Register of Citizens, which is currently in discussion, is the issue of this issue. Assamese versus external issue was so strong that Assam was the only state in the country where NRC was created after the 1951 census.

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