GUWAHATI, Sept 8 - The All Assam Students� Union (AASU) today said Bharat Ratna should be conferred posthumously on Dr Bhupen Hazarika and the State government should take up the matter immediate with the Centre.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said Dr Hazarika should have been conferred Bharat Ratna during his lifetime. But as that was not done, the Centre should at least confer the honour posthumously to pay respect to the great son of Assam.
Bhattacharya demanded that as Guwahati is the gateway to the North East, the Guwahati Railway Station should be named after Dr Hazarika and Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain should take personal initiative to run a cultural train named after the legendary singer. A long distance train originating from Assam should also be named after Dr Hazarika, he said.
To make the young generation of the State aware about the works of Dr Hazarika, the AASU demanded that at least one chapter on his life and works should be included in the syllabi of schools and colleges of the State. At the same time, the State government should impress upon the Centre to include a chapter on Dr Hazarika in the CBSE syllabus, the AASU demanded.
Bhattacharya said construction of the memorial of Dr Hazarika at Jalukbari is a good beginning, but there is scope for improvement and the State government should get in touch with the Gauhati University authorities for more land if required so that the memorial can be expanded. All the songs of Dr Hazarika should be preserved in the memorial and efforts should also be made to spread his songs among the people all over the country and abroad.
AJYCP demand: Reiterating the demand for honouring the cultural icon of the country and Assam Dr Bhupen Hazarika with Bharat Ratna, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad today flayed the previous UPA government and the present NDA government at the Centre for not taking any initiative in this regard.
In a statement, AJYCP president Biraj Kumar Talukdar said Dr Hazarika was not just a cultural icon of the State, but was also an internationally renowned legendary cultural figure the entire country is proud of.
�Four years have passed since Bhupen Hazarika passed away. The music maestro, his life and contribution to Assam and its people need no introduction. Over the years, we have seen that despite repeated appeals, the Centre has never considered conferring Bharat Ratna on the legendary musician acknowledging his immense contribution in the country�s cultural front,� the statement said.
�The UPA government did not consider the popular demand to give the country�s highest civilian award to the maestro. The NDA government is no exception. Instead of honouring the legend, the Congress and BJP-led governments have been politicising the issue,� the AJYCP alleged.
