To soothe CAB anger, Govt may list steps for indigenous rights in Northeast

This article written by Senior Journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah explains the outrage and demands of indigenous people of the Northeast region as the Union home minister Amit Shah is all set to table the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Lok Sabha on December 9.

New Delhi:On Monday afternoon when Union home minister Amit Shah is set to table the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Lok Sabha, there are indications that there may be something substantial for protection of the rights of the indigenous people of the Northeast region, particularly Assam, where public anger has been growing manifold on the issue.

On Sunday afternoon, a telephonic call from AB Mathur, the interlocutor for the ULFA talks, to a top ULFA leader—not the standard procedure during negotiations—has added further fillip to the belief that something may indeed be in the offing.

The entire Northeast is up in arms against the plan to enact the CAB, which feeds on a perceived fear among indigenous inhabitants of Assam and other Northeastern states that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh will swamp the region as their stay will be legitimized in a region where they are already present in sizeable numbers.

A region-wide bandh call on Tuesday (December 10) has been given by various indigenous organizations and students.

With no one from the government willing to speak on the matter, it can be only conjectured at this stage that what may be in the works may be on the lines of a likely accord with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) or something on the basis of suggestions of the high-level committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which Shah might commit in Parliament.

The talks with the ULFA are already in the terminal stage with the ULFA having already submitted its list of demands. “The ball is in the Centre’s court now. We have already made our submissions. So we are all waiting to hear from the Centre,” a top ULFA leader told ETV Bharat.

Among the top demands of the ULFA is a reservation of legislative assembly seats for the indigenous people of the state which will safeguard the political rights and future of the people. The fear is rampant of the state going the Tripura way, where local Tripuri tribals have been relegated to the background and numerically overwhelmed by migrants.

A faction of the ULFA led by Arabinda Rajkhowa and Anup Chetia has been negotiating with the Centre since 2011. The present interlocutor is AB Mathur, former special director of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the country’s external intelligence wing.

Another ULFA faction, led by Paresh Baruah, remains steadfast in its demand for an independent and sovereign Assam. Baruah leads hundreds of his armed fighters who operate from training camps along the China-Myanmar border.ULFA was set up in 1979 with the purported aim to fight for Assam’s independence from India.

The ULFA’s rise coincided with the anti-foreigner Assam agitation (1979-1885) which ended with the signing of the Assam Accord of 1985 but most of whose agreed points have not been implemented till date even after 34 years of the inking.

One of the points in the Accord was Clause 6 which promises “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards” to “protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people”.