Cong MLAs Walkout after Heated Debate on Implementation of Assam Accord

Guwahati: Congress MLAs—including opposition leader Debabrata Saikia—staged a walkout following a contentious discussion about the Assam Accord’s implementation between the governing and opposition parties on Wednesday.

Minister for the Implementation of the Assam Accord Atul Bora countered a query posed by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia regarding the implementation of the Assam Accord on the thirteenth day of the Assam Assembly session.

Bora asked, “What was the Congress government doing in the past? Congress should ask this question at Rajiv Bhawan in Delhi.”

The opposition leaders agreed to stage a walkout in protest of Bora’s comments regarding the Assam Accord.

Meanwhile, addressing the media outside the Assembly, CLP leader Debabrata Saikia said, “We are not satisfied with the reply by the government on implementation of the clauses 5 and 6 of the Assam Accord. Firstly, we enquired whether the cut-off date for citizenship as per the Assam Accord’s clause 5 was modified. As per clause 5 of the accord, all those who entered the territory of Assam after March 25, 1971 are illegal migrants. The government said it accepted clause 5. However, when I enquired whether the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 will bring any change or hinder in clause 5 of the Assam Accord or not. The reply from the government didn’t come out satisfactory, they claimed the contentious act was passed by the central government and thus, state government has no role to play in this. This act will hamper the clause 5 and 6 of the Assam Accord as the act was passed to offer Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities who had migrated from neighbouring countries.”

Furthermore, according to the CLP leader, the state government’s Implementation of Assam Accord agency has not determined how to work for the preservation, promotion, and upliftment of the people’s culture of Assam as per clause 6 of the Accord.

“It’s been almost 35 years of the Assam Accord was a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement. But till date, the government is not paying any heed to provide constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to the Assamese people. This is unfavorable in terms of our state’s development, hence we decided to stage a walkout,” added Saikia.

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