Assam Congress Urges Full Implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord

The Assam Congress has called on the government to fully implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, including introducing the Inner Line Permit (ILP). The demand includes ST status for six communities and the sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border.

The Assam Congress has intensified its demand for the government to fully implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, including the introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Borah emphasized that the Congress has always supported the Assam Accord, signed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

'We believe that the Assam Accord should be fully implemented, with Clause 6 being its essence,' Borah stated. 'We also call for the introduction of the ILP in Assam, ST status for six communities, the formation of an Upper House, reservation in the Assam assembly, and the sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border.'

The Union Home Ministry formed a committee in July 2019, led by Justice (Retd) Biplab Sarma, to draft a report on the implementation of Clause 6. Although the committee submitted its report to former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in February 2020, Borah criticized the current government for selectively implementing only 57 out of 67 recommendations. He stressed that all recommendations are important and called on the Assam Chief Minister to implement them fully, accusing the BJP government of avoiding the complete implementation to cover up corruption issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)