CM Sarbananda Sonowal to receive Clause 6 committee report on February 25

GUWAHATI: Amid uncertainty whether Union home minister Amit Shah would accept the report of the MHA-constituted committee on Clause 6 of Assam Accord in New Delhi,Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the members of the panel, if required, will be invited to the national capital for discussions after CM Sarbananda Sonowal accepts the report on February 25.
Addressing the media here on Saturday, Himanta said the full cabinet of the BJP-led state government will be present in Guwahati when Sonowal will officially receive the report from the committee members at 12 noon on February 25.
"The Union home minister has advised us that since there is a need to submit the report at the earliest, Assam chief minister will receive it from the committee and he will subsequently send it to the Centre. After studying the report of the committee, if the home ministry feels that there is a need to discuss the matter further with the panel members, they will be invited to Delhi," Himanta said.
He added that there won't be any delay in dispatching the report to the Centre after Sonowal receives it. "The report will be directly sent to the Centre. Uncertainty over submission of the report to the Centre should end here," he said.
As the term of the Clause 6 panel, headed by retired Gauhati High Court judge Biplab Kumar Sharma came to an end on February 15, its members were upset with a section of the media for reporting its purported recommendation for making 1951 as the cutoff year for defining Assamese people.
The Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, signed after a six-year-long anti-foreigners' movement (1979-85), states that constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.
All Assam Students' Union (Aasu) general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who is a member of the committee, said,"We have taken views from a cross-section of Assamese society and also opinion of the representatives from various tribes and communities to compile the report. Legally and constitutionally, it's a sound and strong report to safeguard Assam. Now, the onus is on the Centre to accept it with respect and implement it without any delay."
In another announcement, Himanta said under the state government's "Assam Darshan" scheme, 915 religious institutions will be developed as stated in the 2019-20 budget. For infrastructure development to turn them into attractions of religious tourism, each of these religious institutions will receive Rs 10 lakh each. Altogether 459 temples, 186 satras (Vaishnavite monastery), 123 naamghars, 47 mosques and mazar and 26 churches - mostly over 100 years old - will be receive the money. Himanta added that about 74 devalayas will be given an additional annual annuity of Rs 2 lakh each.
The minister said around 10,000 people from 915 religious institutions will gather at the Veterinary College playground in Khanapara on February 24 to recieve funds.