Clause 6 Safeguards: Assam Govt, AASU Conclude Third-Round Meeting

In a decisive step toward enforcing the constitutional safeguards promised under the Assam Accord, the third round of talks between the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the Assam government was held on November 22 at the Chief Minister’s Office conference hall.

The meeting was centered on the implementation of recommendations submitted by the High-Level Committee chaired by retired Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma, constituted to safeguard the cultural, linguistic and land rights of indigenous people.

Addressing the media after the meeting, AASU Chief Advisor Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharjya stated that the government has agreed to implement several key recommendations falling within its administrative jurisdiction. 

He stressed that the struggle to protect Assamese language, literature and identity has continued relentlessly for 46 years, and the present situation is far more alarming than the period of the Assam Movement. 

He asserted that the Assam Accord must be implemented as it is to resolve longstanding issues concerning the people of Assam.

Dr. Bhattacharjya confirmed that the state government has decided to enforce Assamese as a compulsory subject in all English-medium schools across both the Barak and Brahmaputra Valleys.

In the Bodoland Territorial Region, both Assamese and Bodo will be mandatory subjects. The government has also resolved that from the academic year 2026, Assam History and Geography will be compulsory subject up to Class VIII. 

He further emphasized that land rights in the state must remain solely with the indigenous people, asserting that safeguarding ancestral land is vital to the preservation of identity.

Several major cultural and heritage-related initiatives were approved in the meeting. 

The government has committed to establishing ultra-modern multi-purpose cultural complexes named after Sahitya Ratna Lakshminath Bezbarua in every district headquarters, with an initial allocation of 240 crore for twelve districts. 

In accordance with the spirit of the Assam Accord, Srimanta Sankaradev Kalakshetra will receive a special capital allocation of 100 crore, with 50 crore assigned in the 2025–26 budget.

The structure and functioning of Jyoti Chitraban will be redesigned, overseen by a six-member committee comprising three prominent cultural experts and three AASU representatives, and its employees will now come under direct government administration.

The government has also earmarked 50 crore for the preservation and development of Madhupur Satra in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, while a heritage and cultural project is set to be constructed in Chandrapur under the Assam Tourism Development Corporation, for which a proposal seeking 102 crore approval has been sent to the Centre.

However, the disagreement remained unresolved over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). 

According to Dr. Bhattacharyya, AASU and the government failed to reach a consensus, with AASU reiterating its staunch opposition and warning that implementation of the CAA contradicts the spirit of the Assam Accord.

AASU President Utpal Sharma strongly criticized the move to table the Tiwari Commission Report in the Assembly. 

He argued that the commission failed to record the testimony of those who led and participated in the Assam Movement. 

Sharma insisted that if the report is tabled, then the findings of the Mehta Commission must also be presented before the House and made public. 

He further added that the 1983 election was forcibly imposed on the people.

Also Read: Assam Govt Held Meeting with AASU on Implementation of Clause 6 Safeguards of Accord