The All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU) on March 6, 2011 announced that it would launch a mass agitation to throw the ruling Congress out of power in the ensuing Assembly election as the Tarun Gogoi government has failed to consider the long-standing demands of the union.
The students’ union had put forward a set of demands to the state government. The demands included disclosure of the Tiwari Commission Report, which was commissioned to probe the 1983 Nellie massacre; rehabilitation of people from the linguistic minorities affected by ethnic clashes in Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon in 1993-94, and that of Darrang and Udalguri in 2008; find a solution to the issue of “D” (doubtful) voters; effective regulation of the properties that come under the Wakf Board and recruitment of minorities in the state government jobs.
AAMSU announced that agitation will start with public meetings at all the headquarters of the districts. General body meeting of the union was held on March 19-20. In the meeting the union took the decision on the proposed movement against the Congress and chalked out the future course of agitation.
The union alleged that neither Congress nor the AGP has taken up any initiative to offer relief to victim families of the Nellie massacre that took place in 1983. About 1,718 people were killed in the riots. The state government has so far not published the report of the Tiwari Commission, which was assigned the work of investigation and preparing a report on the massacre. The union also alleged that the ruling Congress government during the last two tenures gave repeated assurances but failed to accomplish their demands. AAMSU leader, Muzzamil Haque said, “More than half a century has passed since the Nellie massacre in which 1,718 people were killed but the victims’ families are still waiting for justice. The state government is yet to make the report of the Tiwari Commission public. If the commission report is not made public before the elections, we will be compelled to take an anti-government stand.”
The union regretted that the state government was yet to start work on the rehabilitation of people of the minority community who have been affected by ethnic clashes. Haque stated that hundreds of people from the minority communities were left homeless during the 1993-94 clashes in Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta and later in Darrang and Udalguri districts in 2008, but the government has failed to rehabilitate them despite making announcements, he added. Haque further said that the union is also demanding the state government to solve the problem of ‘D’ voters ahead of the coming elections. If the government fails to do so, AAMSU will take an anti-Congress stand, Haque stated.
AAMSU charged that the ruling government has discriminated against the minority youths from government jobs, loans and other development schemes. President of the union, Abdul Rahim Ahmed alleged that over the past 10 years of its tenure, the Tarun Gogoi government has done nothing for the welfare of the minorities. He also dared Gogoi to submit a white paper on various welfare schemes implemented for the minorities during the last decade.
Ahmed said, “In 1994, the then Congress chief minister, Hiteswar Saikia, passed a bill in the Assembly to reserve government jobs in every district of the state in proportion to the population figures of various religious groups. For example, in Dhubri and Barpeta, Ahmed added, nearly 50 per cent of the jobs were supposed to be reserved for Muslims, as they are the majority in these districts. However, the Tarun Gogoi government has not enforced the legislation and the percentage of Muslims getting jobs in various departments is pathetic.
Ahmed stated some facts and figures highlighting the discrimination of minorities in recruitment for government jobs. He said, “Just 4.9% of educated minority youths got government jobs in the past 10 years of Gogoi government though the state had 35% of linguistic minority population. Only 6 Muslim candidates, out of 309 posts, were appointed as the junior administrative assistants in the secretariat last year, and of 29 Assam Police Service posts, only two Muslim candidates were appointed. In 2008-09, the government appointed 11 Muslim candidates out of 74 posts of physical instructors in the directorate of sports and youth welfare, 10 against 80 firemen posts, four against 52 drivers and two against 18 cooks in the State Fire Service Organization. Of 17 assistant jailers appointed in 2008-09, only three were Muslims.”
Ahmed said that Muslims were being deprived of justice in every sphere in the state causing a great deal of frustration among the younger generation of the community. He said even after 13 years, the fate of nearly 1.5 lakh “D” (whose citizenship is in doubt) voters are still not known. In such a situation, Ahmed said AAMSU has been left with no other option but resort to agitation against the injustice of the Congress.
The union also criticised the Opposition parties like the AGP and the AIUDF for their failure to voice the grievances of the minorities properly and accused them of playing only vote-bank politics. The union also condemned political leaders who have used Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind for individual gains in politics. General Secretary of AAMSU, Rejaul Karim Sarkar said, “We would like to warn Badruddin Ajmal and Rockybul Hussain, who have been seen using the platform of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind for political gains, to leave the religious body alone. Jamiat was constituted decades ago to cater to the needs of Muslims across the country and we have deep respect for the body.”
Sarkar further said that even Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, who claims to be a leader of the minorities, hasn’t done for the minorities although he often talks of development of the minority community.
The agitation is likely to pose a great challenge to the Congress as AAMSU enjoys clout among the Muslims in the state, who have been traditionally casting their votes in favour of the Congress. AAMSU was formed on March 31, 1980, in protest against the alleged harassment of Muslims during the anti-foreigners movement in the state. After the end of the foreigners’ movement, the union was divided into different factions. The union is celebrating its Foundation Day on March 31.
Assembly elections in the state are scheduled for April 4 and 11. The first phase of polls will be held in 13 districts of the Barak valley, the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao and Upper Assam. The second phase will be held in the remaining 14 districts of Lower and Central Assam. Polls to the four constituencies in Guwahati city will also be held in the second phase of the elections.