Guwahati, 4 May (EMN): As the debate over the cut-off year for detection & deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Assam gains momentum, a patriotic forum came out with the arguments for 1951 as the base year. However, the civil society group reaffirmed that it would abide by the guidelines of the Supreme Court of India as the matter is still in the apex court’s jurisdiction. It may be noted that the accord, which was signed after six years long Assam movement to deport each & every illegal migrant of Bangladesh, had agreed to grant citizenship to the those Bangladesh origin nationals who entered Assam before 25 March 1971, even though the movement was materialized with the target of 1951.Need not to mention that few million Bangladeshi (then East Pakistani) people entered Assam during 1951 to 1971 and they were waiting for constitutional rights to stay in the country as the legal residents.
Since the emergence of Assam Accord, Assam Sanmilita Mahasanga (ASM) continued raising voices for 1951 as the bottom year, which was later supported by Assam Public Works, All Assam Ahom Association, Indigenous Tribal People’s Front, Purbotar Hindustani Sanmelan, Prabrajan Virodhi Mancha etc.
All Assam Students Union (AASU) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) maintain their stand in favour of 25 March 1971 as the cut-off date for identification and deportation of illegal migrants under the provisions of the historic accord.
Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind’s Assam unit along with the AIUDF and Congress supports the same year of 1971. “We can understand that for some specific reasons the accord was signed with the base year of 1971.
But we must not forget that all the Assam movement martyrs starting with Khargeswar Talukder sacrificed their lives for 1951 as base year. So respecting those martyrs the cut-off year should be advanced without changing other clauses of the accord,” said a statement issued by Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA). Of course, the forum reiterated that it would obey the verdict of the Supreme Court in this respect and the PPFA stated that the base year controversy should be resolved forever so that various anti-national elements cannot take the advantage to hurt the nationalist cause ofIndia.
