Implement Assam Accord in letter and spirit: AASU

New Delhi, Mar 17 (UNI) All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has urged the Centre to implement the Assam accord in its ''true letter and spirit'' with cut of date for the identification of foreigners as December 31, 1971.

Addressing newspersons here today, AASU advisor Dr Samujjal Bhattacharjee said, ''We are not here to blame any single political party...all are equally to be blamed for the present state of affairs in Asom where the indigenous people were pushed to the corner and are on the verge of becoming a minority,'' he said.

He said, if the Centre was serious on resolving the foreigners influx issue in the northeastern state, the accord should be implemented in time-bound manner.

''It will convey a positive message to the people,'' he said.

''The bureaucracy in Delhi could not think anything beyond Kolkata and it is immaterial for them if Asom became a part of the greater Bangladesh,'' he alleged.

Apprehending unrest, Mr Bhattacharjee said if the vexed issue remains unresolved, ''it was not known for how long people could hold on to following non-violent means''.

He said though the Assam accord was signed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, it ''just remained on the paper'' and nothing was done to implement it. The first tripartite meeting on the accord was held here on May 5, 2005 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and attended by AASU and Asom Government officals, the AASU advisor said.

He said the meet decided to start with delimitation only once the National Register of Citizen's (NRC) was completed. He regretted that though the State government was still engaged in updating the NRC, the Centre moved ahead with delimitation in Asom.

''As the delimitation process will take into account the population factor alone, it will deprive the Assamese people from their right to elect their government,'' he added.

Meanwhile, a high-level AASU delegation led by party president Shankar Prasad Ray and General Secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi along with party's Lok Sabha MP Sarbanand Sonowal and AASU advisor Dr Bhattacharjee had a meeting with the Delimitation Commission (DC) Chairman Justice Kuldeep Singh and apprised him of the various issues which would adversely affect the State's ''political dimensions''.

They requested Justice Singh to keep the implementation of the Commission report in abeyance till the state government was through with updating NRC, he added.

Dr Bhattacharjee said Justice Singh has assured them that the commission would review the report provided the Centre issues an advisory in this regard to his office.

The AASU delegation also called on Union Home Mnister Shivraj Patil and submitted a memorandum to him in this regard and he too, has assured the delegation to look into the matter.

The delegation also had a meeting with the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Santosh Mohan Dev and would meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to apprise him of the gravity of the situation in the North Eastern Region.

Responding to a questions, Dr Bhattacharjee disclosed that at least 14 fundamentalist groups were operating from Asom and the ''Union Home Ministry is very much aware of it but are not taking any step towards their removal'', he said.

UNI