Author: Satananda Bhattacharjee
Publication: Assam Tribune
Date: August 11, 2007
The leaders of All Assam Students' Union (AASU)
and North East Students' Organisation (NESO) on Thursday reiterated their
demand to make the north-eastern states Bangladeshi-free. Addressing a huge
public meeting at Algapur, 9 km from here organised on the occasion of the
3 rd annual conference of the Hailakandi unit of AASU, the student leaders
of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur led by AASU
advisor and president of NESO, Dr. Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya, said that
Assam has become overburdened with the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. They
said that the Barak Valley is the hub of illegal Bangladeshi migrants.
Dr Bhattacharyya clarified that their movement
is not against the Bengalis or indigenous Muslims and said that AASU's fight
is exclusively against the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators, those who entered
Assam after March 25, 1971, as it is changing the democratic pattern of the
State as well as the region.
It may be mentioned here that the visit to
Hailakandi of Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharyya became uncertain a few days back
after the fatwa of All Assam Madarsa Students Assaociation (AMSA) that they
will prevent the entry of AASU leaders for their communal feelings towards
Muslims. However the fatwa was lifted later. Heavy security arrangements were
also made by the district administration in Hailakandi considering the threat
of the AMSA to prevent the ban on the entry of Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharyya.
Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharyya said that the Bangladeshis
who entered into Assam after March 25, 1971 will have to quit the country
and the AASU is fighting for this. He said that the government is doing vote
bank politics over the issue and threatened that they will not tolerate such
type of politics over a delicate issue like illegal Bangladeshis. He said
that the time has come to save Assam from the clutches of the illegal Bangladeshi
infiltrators. He lamented that in most the states of the country, the deadline
regarding the entry of foreigners is 1950 but in Assam, it is 1971. He firmly
said that Assam has taken so much of weight of Bangladeshi infiltrators and
now they will not allow a single Bangladeshi to stay. He urged the people
of Barak Valley to extend their helping hand towards the movement of AASU
against Bangladeshis. He said the Assam Movement began in 1979 and after six
years of the movement and the losing of 885 people the historic Assam Accord
was signed.
The meeting was attended by about 6000 people.
Dr. Bhattacharyya urged for an economic movement for the overall development
of the indigenous people of the State. He lamented that the State government
has failed to make an academic calendar and a good syllabus for the students
of Assam despite passing of nearly 60 years of independence. He informed that
the AASU is the only organisation of the country which has made an academic
calendar and syllabus for the schools and the colleges and the state government
later accepted these. He urged for a better co-ordination between the people
of various sections living in the state.
The open session of the conference was presided
over by Badrul Alam Laskar and was addressed by the president and secretary
of AASU, Sankar Prasad Roy and Tapan Gogoi. The presidents and the general
secretaries of Khasi Students Union (KSU), Garo Students Union, Mizo Zirloi
Powl, All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union, All Manipur Students Union (AMSU)
and All Tripura Students Union. Earlier, a big procession with motor cycles
and cars escorted the convoy of Dr Samujjal Bhattacharyya to Hailakandi.
