Implementation of Assam Accord key to protecting indigenous people, says BJP

Guwahati: The state unit of BJP on Friday said implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord is crucial to protect indigenous people of the state as the state will now have to shoulder the burden of immigrants who entered the state post 1951.

This comes a day after the Supreme Court upheld the validity of Section 6 A of the Citizenship Act that grants Indian citizenship to immigrants who entered Assam before March 25, 1971.

A faction within the BJP had hoped for a 1951 cut-off for citizenship in Assam, aligning with the rest of India. However, the Supreme Court’s decision reinforces the March 25, 1971, cut-off date as endorsed in the Assam Accord.

While opposition parties, including Congress, AIUDF and AGP (a BJP ally) have expressed satisfaction with the judgment, the BJP’s state unit initially did not issue an official statement. On Friday, Assam BJP chief spokesperson Manoj Baruah said the party is committed to implementing the Assam Accord, focusing particularly on Clause 6, to safeguard indigenous communities from the impact of illegal immigrants.

“The cut-off year for detection of illegal migrants in Assam was fixed when the Assam Accord was signed. It was March 25, 1971. Those opposing it approached the judiciary and the Supreme Court has ultimately endorsed the same cut-off date. Since our govt has already accepted the Assam Accord, now constitutional safeguard of the indigenous people of Assam is our focus,” Baruah told TOI.

The Supreme Court’s decision has sparked a range of reactions, with the BJP in Assam now emphasising the urgent need to implement Clause 6 to protect the state’s indigenous population. This aims to balance the responsibility of accommodating immigrants with safeguarding the cultural and social heritage of the Assamese people.

Baruah stressed the need for implementing the recommendations made by the Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma committee for Clause 6. State govt, during talks held with Aasu last month, affirmed its commitment to implementing 52 recommendations of the committee constituted by the Union home ministry by April next year.

Clause 6 of the Assam Accord aims to provide constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social and linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. Baruah said these recommendations will undoubtedly safeguard the indigenous population. However, he did not comment on the implications of the 20-year gap in the cut-off date for Assam compared to the rest of India.

However, some senior BJP leaders said they have accepted the Supreme Court judgment “unwillingly”.

Senior BJP leader and Darrang Udalguriseat Lok Sabha MP Dilip Saikia said, “I, on behalf of the people of Darrang Udalguri, welcome the verdict of the apex court but not from the core of my heart. It is because we have to obey the Supreme Court and the Constitution. After the SC judgment, it is clear that as Assamese we will have to take the burden of infiltrators who entered the state over 20 years, between 1951 and 1971.”

Saikia termed the varying cut-off years a “double standard”. He urged that once detected, illegal migrants who entered Assam between 1951 and 1971 should be redistributed among all states.

“We believe in one nation, one constitution. Constitution should safeguard the sentiments and constitutional rights of Assam,” Saikia added.

Saikia said the demographic change in Assam should not reduce the indigenous communities to suppressed communities. “The population of indigenous communities should not come below that of migrants. We should not become second-class citizens,” he added.