White Paper on Assam Accord implementation next month: Congress

Guwahati, Sep 20 (IANS) The Congress government in Assam Thursday decided to publish a white paper Oct 7 on the steps taken by it to implement the 1985 Assam Accord.

The decision was taken during a meeting of party legislators and senior leaders, held at Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s residence at Koinadhara Hills here.

Party leaders, present at the meeting, said it was also decided that the Congress will put in efforts to build public opinion across the state about the steps taken by it to implement the historic Accord in the past 11 years.

“The white paper will clear all the points which have been raised by several sections – the steps taken by the government to stop infiltration from the neighbouring country (Bangladesh), sealing of the India-Bangladesh border, detection and deportation of Bangladeshis and other related issues,” said a senior party leader.

He said that the party has also appealed the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) to publish a white paper on the steps taken by it in implementing the accord during its ten years of rule in Assam.

The Assam government was under pressure from several quarters over the issue of alleged non-implementation of the historic Accord, which marked the ending of six-year long Assam movement.

Although the Accord suggested sealing of India-Bangladesh border and detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators, a large portion of the international border is still porous.

Similarly, there has also been allegation that not much has been done by the subsequent state governments since last 27 years to detect and deport the illegal foreigners, mainly Bangladeshi nationals from the state.

The issue of Bangladeshi infiltration has been in the news headlines in Assam since last month – particularly after the clash between the Bodos and Bengali speaking Muslim settlers in Assam’s three districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri, which left 97 people dead and rendered over four lakh people homeless.

IANS 2012-09-20 19:50:49