The State Government will prepare an action plan for implementation of the 52 recommendations of the Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord in a month’s time.
Following a meeting with the leadership of All Assam Students’ Union ( AASU) on September 25, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the 67 broad recommendations made by the Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma committee can be divided into three broad categories: 40 which come under the exclusive domain of the State Government, 12 which will require the concurrence of the Centre, and 15 which are in the exclusive domain of the Centre.
“The 52 recommendations in the first two categories will be implemented by April 2025, for which the State Government will prepare an action plan within a month. These recommendations are related to land rights, language and culture,” said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister said that the ‘action plan’ will be given to the AASU within a month and if the students’ body arrives at a consensus with the State Government over implementation of the 52 recommendations, their implementation will be set in motion. The State Government and AASU will sit on October 25 for discussion on the implementation of Clause 6,” said the Chief Minister.
Dr Sarma said that the State Government will request Centre to hold discussion with AASU leaderships regarding the implementation of 15 recommendations of the committee since these issues are under the Centre’s domain.
The 52 recommendations in the first two categories will be implemented by April 2025, for which the State Government will prepare an action plan within a month. These recommendations are related to land rights, language and culture.
Among these are those related to reservation in jobs, the Assam Assembly and Parliament, for which amendments in the Constitution will be required.
The Chief Minister said that there is no scope for implementation of the recommendation of the committee in Barak Valley while in three Sixth Scheduled Areas (Autonomous Councils), the implementation of these recommendations will be based on the outcome of talks with the stakeholders (explicit consent of the Councils).
On the definition of the word ‘Assamese’, the Chief Minister said, “In the parlance of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, Assamese means people whose forefathers have been living in Assam since 1951 or before. This is applicable in certain matters, like rights over land. However, this definition of ‘Assamese’ is not applicable in other areas.”
Clause 6 of the Assam Accord states 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.”
In July 2019, the Union Home Ministry constituted a 14-member committee to be chaired by Retd High Court Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma comprising Judges, retired bureaucrats, writers, AASU leaders and journalists, to suggest ways to implement the clause. Among the key questions before the committee was a definition of “the Assamese people” eligible for “safeguards” under
Clause 6.
The committee had submitted its recommendations to the then Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in February 2020.
Among the key recommendations made by the committee was that the definition of “Assamese People”, for the purpose of implementing Clause 6, should include “Indigenous Tribals”, “Other Indigenous Communities of Assam”, “Indian citizens residing in the territory of Assam on or before January 1, 1951” and their descendants, and “Indigenous Assamese” people. Based on this, the committee made several recommendations for reservations for “Assamese people”, including in Parliament, the state Assembly, local bodies, and jobs.
Meanwhile, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) leaders thanked the Assam Government for initiating measures to implement the recommendations of the committee.
AASU adviser Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharrya, however, lamented that despite 40 years of the Assam Accord, many important clauses are yet to be implemented.
“This was the first meeting between the State Government and AASU on implementing recommendations of the high-level committee. Our deliberations were positive. Since the committee was appointed by the Centre, we hope New Delhi will keep its commitment on giving constitutional protection to Assamese people,” Bhattacharrya said.
