Assam: 'Janagusthiya Samannay Parishad' Demands Representative from Each Tribe in Assam Assembly

Guwahati, August 4, 2019:

The ‘Janagusthiya Samannay Parishad', Assam’ comprising of 21 indigenous organizations has demanded constitutional safeguard and representation of tribal bodies in the Vidhan Sabha following the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

Addressing the media, the convenor of the Parishad, Aminul Awal said, “By introducing the Assam Accord, nearly 50 lakh people were given citizenship who immigrated between 1951 to 1971. Following this the indigenous tribal community who are the son of the soil are facing lot of problems. As per the norms of Para 10 of the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, the affected tribal communities was supposed to be provided with Constitutional safeguards. So, we demand the protection to the communities and Gariya Moriya, Desi, Tea tribes should be given the ST status.”

He added, “As a result of providing citizenship to over 50 lakh people, the son of the soil in Dhubri, Mancachar, Goalpara, Barpeeta, Nagaon, Morigaon, Darrang districts are facing huge threat. The mostly affected ones are the tribes-Koch- Rajbongshi, Desi, Tiwa, Rabha, etc.”

Aminul Awal further added, “There are 126 seats in the Vidhan Sabha which represents the people and different tribes. But there are many tribes in the state for which there are no representative in the Vidhan Sabha. So, we demand there should be representative of each tribe.”

The Parishad met Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on August 3 on the above mentioned issues. The CM has also assured the Parishad that he will look into the matter and initiate the necessary steps.

Inside Northeast’s Campaign #LetsSaveDeeporBeel is now supported by Oil India Limited (OIL). Join us as we continue the awareness campaign to preserve the only Ramsar site in Assam which is facing immense threats. We need your help to preserve this site of great ecological importance. Join the #LetsSaveDeeporBeel campaign and tweet about it, and do tag us on Twitter. Let’s make some noise!