Success of farmers’ stir a lesson for people of Assam: PVM

Guwahati: Prabajan Virodhi Manch (PVM) convenor and senior lawyer Upamanyu Hazarika on Friday said the complete success of the farmers’ agitation following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of repeal of laws and discussions on the demands is an instructive lesson to the people of Assam.

Hours after the prime minister’s announcement, Hazarika said the fortitude and determination of the farmers to protest, notwithstanding extreme heat, cold, police bullets, and lathis forced a powerful Central government to accede to their demands.

More than the farmers, it’s the uncompromising stand of the leadership, who didn’t succumb to any inducement or threat, and were steadfast in their stand which kept the movement on track, Hazarika said.

“Unfortunately in Assam we’ve been continuously agitating for 40 years, without any results and being worse off. Our struggle has only produced self-serving leaders who show no hesitation in pursuing their interest before the cause and for which the people are continually betrayed,” he said.

“Leaders of All Assam Students Union (AASU), while assuming and grabbing leadership, do not take responsibility for their failure. They take no responsibility for the failure of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the failure of the anti-CAA (Citizenship amendment Act) movement, failure for implementation of Clause 6 Committee recommendations for protection to indigenous people.” Hazarika said.

The problem and the solutions are clear after 40 years of re-verification of a faulty NRC, reservation of land and resources for indigenous people to prevent them from becoming a minority, and no further imposition of foreigners through CAA. He further said.

He also said all that is required is to stick to these issues, even then there’s complete insincerity and fraudulent representations.

Our present chief minister has on numerous occasions assured of bringing in legislation reserving land for the indigenous and that, too, in the “next Assembly session”, two years ago but shows no compunctions in backtracking, he said.

Till such time that people do not force their leaders to act in public interest or continue to elect such leaders who continually betray them, the survival of the indigenous people is always at risk, he added.

Also read: Protest will end when farm laws repealed in Parliament: Tikait