GUWAHATI, Nov 13 � A sea of people today took to the streets here as the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) through a massive Gana Satyagraha asserted its demands for implementing the Assam Accord in its entirety, expelling all illegal Bangladeshis from the State and ensuring the supremacy of indigenous people in Assam.
The protesters asked the State government to give a definite time-frame for implementation of all the clauses of the historic Accord that was signed 25 years back.
One of the largest among the student body�s rallies organised in the past few years on the burning issues of the State, also turned into a huge procession parading the city�s thoroughfares. It had the participation of more than 15,000 people from across the State. The protesters moved from Latasil playground to Chandmari via Uzanbazar, Barowari, Guwahati Club, Ambari and Silpukhuri.
Addressing the rally at Latasil, the AASU leaders Sankar Prasad Ray, Tapan Gogoi and Samujjal Bhattacharyya announced that the protest would grow stronger and louder if the remedial measures are not taken, since all issues raised in the Satyagraha are associated with the very existence of indigenous communities of the State.
�Stopping the pilot project for updating the NRC in Barpeta and Chhaygaon after the AAMSU-induced violence speaks volumes about the State government�s intentions of backing the illegal Bangladeshis. Not just the government, all the political parties of the State are vying for Bangladeshi vote bank at the cost of the interest of indigenous people,� AASU general secretary Tapan Gogoi said.
Samujjal Bhattacharya, advisor of the students� body, expressed deep concern over the illegal migration of Bangla nationals to the tribal belts, Kaziranga National Park and cultivable lands in other parts of the State. �If the trend continues, in ten years from now, a Bangla national would become the Chief Minister of Assam and the Assamese people would be reduced to second class citizens,� he said.
The issues of reservation of seats for indigenous people in the State Legislative Assembly and the urgent need of Constitutional safeguard to indigenous people were also vociferously raised in the rally.
On the issue of threats from mega dams, the AASU leaders said that the experts committee has forbidden construction of Lower Subansiri Hydel Project at its present site as well as construction of mega dams in earthquake-prone Himalayan foothills as a whole.
�We are not against development and power generation. But this should not be done at the cost of the lives of the common people. The government can take recourse to the micro-hydel projects, instead of the mega dams, for power generation,� Bhattacharya said.
The students� union also criticized the Opposition for its weak stand on the issue.
�Since 2001, the AASU has been raising concern on the issue of effects of big dams. The fact that Lower Subansiri project was started without even completing a proper study was also brought to light by the students� body,� he added.
The AASU has also warned that all its regional units would continue to obstruct the transportation of construction materials to the Lower Subansiri project site.
