GUWAHATI, March 7 � Asking the indigenous organisations to unite for the sake of protecting their identities, the Bodo Sahitya Sabha suggested that the word �Assamese� in Clause Six of the Assam Accord should be replaced by the phrase �indigenous people of Assam�.
Addressing mediapersons here today, Kamalakanta Mushahari, general secretary of the Sabha, said Constitutional safeguard of the indigenous communities of the State is a far more serious subject and every care must be taken so that no foreigner manages to get its advantage and no indigenous person is deprived of it.
He said this was suggested to the Government of Assam long back, but the issue has not be resolved till date, due to the government�s apathy.
�The Bodo, Mising, Karbi, Rabha, Tiwa, etc., have their own identity, with distinct language, culture and heritage, which must be protected. If a foreign national has accepted Assamese or Bodo language, culture, etc., and assimilated with the people, we cannot let them enjoy the Constitutional safeguard merely on these grounds, though they would be accepted as Indian citizens as per the cutoff date,� he added.
Irked at the government�s attitude towards their various demands, the Bodo literary body has warned of vigorous democratic movement in the State after March 31.
It alleged that the demands for a separate directorate for Bodo and other tribal languages, Bodo as a medium of instruction up to higher secondary level, provincialisation of Bodo and Assamese medium schools in Sonitpur district and recognition of Bodo Kachari people of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts as ST(Hills) have been cold shouldered by the government for the past 12 years.
�In our 54th annual convention in February this year, the grievances of Bodo community were discussed in details. Though initially the State government accepted the proposal for a separate directorate for and Bodo and other tribal languages, the word �Bodo� was omitted later on,� he added.
Also asking the State and the Union governments to deal firmly with the militant organisations, who are not willing to come to the negotiation table, the Sabha said terrorism and bloodbath could not be allowed in the name of armed conflict.
�Be it anti-talk factions of ULFA, NDFB, KLO and JMB or other fundamentalist outfits, stringent measures must be taken to wipe them out from the State,� added Mushahari.