The BJP-led government in Assam on Saturday announced a series of steps aimed at safeguarding the Assamese culture and land rights at a time protests are going on against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that has caused deep resentment in the state.
Key among the decisions taken by the Sarbananda Sonowal-led government is one to move the Centre to get Article 345 of the Constitution amended to make Assamese the state language except in the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley, BTAD and the two hill districts (Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao).
The state cabinet decided to ensure that six autonomous councils would receive constitutional safeguards and law would be brought in to check the sale of land owned by indigenous people to outsiders.
Most of the decisions are linked to demands placed before a committee on Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord, which seeks to provide constitutional safeguards to the Assamese people. “The committee has been requested to submit its report by January,” said senior cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who announced the cabinet decisions at a news meet in the evening.
The state government flagged the decisions as an agenda for the Assembly elections that are still more than a year away.
The cabinet decided to set up 100 schools in tea garden areas, upgrade Bajali in Barpeta district into a full-fledged district and reserve seats for tribal students in professional colleges and universities.
In initial comments, the All Assam Students’ Union, which is protesting the amended citizenship act, said it would have been more happy had Dispur also requested the Centre to repeal the act.
“If they can request the Centre to amend Article 345 to declare Assamese as the state language, why can’t they request the Centre to repeal the CAA from Assam? Why couldn’t they get ST status for the six communities in the past three and a half years?” AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi asked.
AASU president Dipanka Nath said the protests would continue because it was about the future of the community. He said the protests had nothing to do with cabinet decisions, which will benefit six communities seeking ST status — Moran, Muttock, Chutia, Tai Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi and tea tribes/Adivasi.
The Opposition AIUDF said the cabinet decisions were an attempt to divert attention from the ongoing protests. “Who are indigenous? There is no definition of ‘indigenous’ in Assam and India. How can government detect indigenous people?” AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam said.
Asked why so many important decisions were taken within a short time, Sarma, who was flanked by his colleagues Chandra Mohan Patowary, Chandan Brahma and Keshab Mahanta of the BPF and AGP, respectively, said: “We have elections in a year. We are getting ready for the polls from today. Whatever we had promised to the people, we are trying to deliver. From now on, we will be announcing such decisions after every cabinet meeting.”
Assam goes to the polls in 2021.
Asked whether these steps were taken to douse the protests, Sarma said: “We respect democratic protests but because of protests, a government can’t stop functioning. The development process cannot be stopped. Both trains (protest and development) will run simultaneously. We have just two months to implement the budget.”
The cabinet decisions come in the wake of a four-hour BJP Legislature Party meeting, where the chief minister was asked to reach out to the masses to allay their doubts over the amended act. His assurance that the government was committed to protecting the identity, culture, land and language found few takers with several MLAs admitting it will have to do much more. “The cabinet decisions to protect language and land and steps for welfare of the indigenous communities are a step in that direction, besides getting the development process back on track,” an MLA said.
The cabinet decisions include:
⚫ Move the Centre to amend Article 345 to declare Assamese as the state language of Assam, excluding the Barak Valley, BTAD and the hill districts.
⚫ Bring a legislation in the next Assembly session making it mandatory for Assamese to be taught as a compulsory subject in all English and other medium schools. However, this law will not apply to the hill districts, BTAD, Bodo-dominated areas and Barak Valley.
⚫Ensure constitutional status to tribal autonomous councils — Mising, Rabha, Sonowal Kachari, Thengal Kachari, Deori and Tiwa — so they can receive funds from central and state governments, besides other rights and privileges.
⚫ The chief executive members of all tribal autonomous councils will be ex-officio members of land advisory committees of subdivisions within their territorial jurisdiction.
⚫ New autonomous councils for Koch Rajbongshis (Kamtapur Autonomous Council) residing in original Goalpara district, excluding BTAD and Rabha Hasong areas, Moran and Muttock communities.
⚫ The birthday of Sati Sadhini, a revered figure of the Chutia community, will be declared a state holiday. A new state university, Sati Sadhini Rajyik Vishwavidyalaya, will be set up in Golaghat district.
⚫ Two new medical colleges — in Biswanath and Sivasagar districts.
⚫ The Bajali subdivision in lower Assam’s Barpet district will be upgraded into a district, taking the number of districts to 34.
⚫ A Rs 500-crore special package announced in budget for the Moran, Muttock, Chutia and Ahom communities will be divided equally among them (Rs 125 crore each).
⚫ The Tai Ahom Development Council, the Chutia Development Council and the Koch Rajbongshi Development Council will be restructured with substantial budgetary allocation.
⚫ Medical, engineering, agriculture and veterinary science and PG seats in general universities to be reserved for the Tai Ahom, Koch Rajbongshi and Chutia communities. The seats will be worked out according to the population.
⚫ The Centre to be requested to expedite the Bodo peace talks.
⚫ The allocation for tea tribes welfare department will be increased substantially. Seats will be reserved for tea tribe students in general colleges. In addition, 100 new high schools in tea garden areas will be set up within three months.
⚫ The wages of labourers of the ailing Assam Tea Corporation Ltd will be increased from Rs 138 per day to Rs 167 a day in Brahmaputra Valley and from Rs 115 to Rs 145 in Barak Valley, from January 1 next year.
⚫ A bill will be introduced in the next Assembly session seeking protection of land rights of the indigenous people.
⚫The Assam Heritage Preservation Bill will be brought in the next Assembly session.