Congress, AIUDF prevent Speaker from tabling the report on definition of Assamese

GUWAHATI: As consensus over the definition of 'Assamese' still eludes Assam, Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi’s attempt to find one was frustrated when the ruling Congress and a section of the Opposition parties prevented Gogoi from tabling the report on Tuesday.

They opposed the Speaker on the ground that he has not taken into confidence the members of the assembly while preparing the report. Two weeks back, Gogoi had taken the initiative to find the definition by initiating a dialogue with over 50 organizations belonging to different ethnic groups.

Clause 6 of the Assam accord, which was signed six years after the anti-foreigners’ movement on August 15, 1985, provides for constitutional safeguard to the Assamese people. And to implement this clause, the government has sought to find the definition of the word 'Assamese'.

The Speaker recommended 1951 as the cut-off period and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), 1951, as the basis for the definition of the “Assamese people” for the purpose of reservation of seats and constitutional safeguard as required by the Assam Accord.

He stated that 1951 Census Report defined the indigenous people of Assam thus: “Indigenous person of Assam means a person belonging to the State of Assam and speaking the Assamese language or any tribal dialect of Assam, or in the case of Cachar, the language of the region.”

Congress and All India United Democratic Front ( AIUDF) MLAs asked the Speaker to expunge this from the proceedings of the House, which he refused. The BJP and regional parties, including the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), however, backed Gogoi.

Congress legislator Abdul Muhib Mazumder said the House is divided over the issue. “I feel that there should not be any hurry as we have already waited for 30 years.” AIUDF legislator Abdur Rahim Khan also demanded the Speaker to withdraw the report.

Parliamentary Affairs minister Rockybul Hussain said, “There should not be any hurry. The government should be given the responsibility to talk to the people, including political parties and different organizations to arrive at a consensus over the definition.”

Former Assam Chief Minister and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta argued that those opposing now should have opposed when the Speaker initiated the move. “The report is only a recommendation and there is no harm in tabling the report.”