Constitutional amendment needed to safeguard indigenous people of Assam: AASU
The AASU chief adviser said that the Supreme Court has disposed of petitions regarding the re-verification of the NRC.
AASU chief adviser Dr Samuijal Kumar Bhattacharya (Photo: @SamujjalBhatta / X)
Guwahati, June 20: Constitutional amendment is a must to provide safeguards to the indigenous people of Assam, said Samujjal Bhattacharya, chief adviser of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU). He also said that the AASU would file a fresh affidavit before the Supreme Court for re-verification of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Bhattacharya said that the key decisions regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee on providing Constitutional safeguards to the indigenous people would have to be taken by the Central Government. Such recommendations include providing seat reservations to indigenous people in the Assembly, Parliament and local bodies, reservation of jobs, the introduction of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the State, etc. For that, an amendment to the Constitution is a must. He said that the State Government has already informed the AASU that a tripartite meeting involving Central and State Governments and the AASU would be held soon to discuss the issue.
Bhattacharya said that the State Government has already taken steps to implement 38 of the recommendations of the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee and the meeting with the Chief Minister is scheduled to be held in the first part of July to discuss the implementation of the other recommendations.
The AASU chief adviser said that the Supreme Court has disposed of petitions regarding the re-verification of the NRC. The AASU has discussed the issue with Assam Public Works and both organizations have decided to submit fresh petitions in the Apex Court in this regard. He said that the State and the Central Governments should also file petitions for re-verification of the NRC.
He said that only a correct NRC can properly deal with the problem of infiltration of foreigners.
On the recent move of the Government to deport foreigners living illegally in Assam, Bhattacharya said that for the first time since the signing of the Assam Accord, some steps have been taken to deport illegal migrants. “But this should be a continuous effort and not just an election-oriented effort. The operation should continue till all the foreigners and members of the fundamentalist forces are rooted out from Assam as no indigenous person wants Assam to become second Kashmir,” he added.