GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday made a strong pitch for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) return to power in Assam as he reiterated his party’s commitment to implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Assam, while making it clear that tribal communities will remain outside its jurisdiction.
“If I form a BJP-led government in Assam, we will bring in a uniform civil code, which will ensure that no one gets married four times. I assure that tribals will remain outside the ambit of UCC, we know who it should include,” Shah said while addressing an election rally in Dudnoi, Goalpara district.
The move comes in the wake of the precedent set by the BJP government in Uttarakhand, which recently enacted the UCC law which includes regulation of direct relations. The Gujarat government had introduced a similar bill in March this year. Implementation of the UCC remains the cornerstone of the BJP’s manifesto for the upcoming Assam elections, scheduled for April 9.
During the rally, Shah accused previous Congress governments of treating tribal communities as mere “vote banks” while neglecting their development. He further highlighted the representation of marginalized groups under the current administration, noting that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Draupadi Murmu became the first tribal woman to serve as President of India.
Emphasizing the BJP’s commitment towards the upliftment of tribals, Shah said, “Since Independence till 2013, the total annual budget expenditure across the country for the welfare of tribals has reached… $25,000 crore, but after the BJP government led by Prime Minister Modi took charge at the Center in 2014, the figure rose to $1.38 million crores.”
He promised to set up a large dairy factory in the area to ensure that every tribal family gets one cow and one buffalo.
Dudhnoi assembly constituency is in one of the 19 seats out of 126 reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. The seat has 175,592 voters, about 44% of whom belong to ST communities.
He also reiterated the BJP’s promise to detect illegal immigrants not only in Assam, but across the country.
“Give us five more years in power in Assam, we will rid the state of infiltrators and bring them back,” he said.
The Union Home Minister said the BJP has restored peace to Assam, but if the Congress wins any seat in the assembly elections scheduled on April 9, the northeastern state will once again witness instability.
“The Congress kept Assam in turmoil and played politics with the lives of the youth of the state. But we signed agreements with the rebel groups and so far more than 10,000 youth have laid down arms to bring peace in the state,” he added.
Accusing the Congress of not doing anything to protect the state’s culture, Shah highlighted the construction of a huge statue of General Ahom Lachit Borphukan, a memorial to 860 martyrs of the Assam agitation and the award of World Heritage Site to the Charaideo Maidams by UNESCO during the BJP rule.
– In response to Shah’s comments, the Congress said they had given real power to the tribes by enshrining the Sixth Schedule in the Constitution for tribal self-government and self-government in the hill districts of Assam and 29 Development Councils – including the Adivasi/Chai, Moran, Motuk, Kutch Rajbongshi and others – giving the smaller tribal communities their first institutional voice and focused development.
“Despite being in power for over 10 years, you have failed to give ST status to six communities (including tea tribes/Adivasis) in Assam despite repeated promises. Draupadi Murmu is symbolic. The Congress has provided structural guarantees, poverty alleviation, schools, roads and regional teachers in tribal areas during the 15 years of our rule in Assam,” Assam Congress chief spokesperson Parnali Phukan said.
“Shah ji, ‘one cow, one buffalo and one dairy for the region’ is another picture. Tribals need self-governance, land security, independent statehood and development with dignity – not fodder at election time. Congress stands firm with the tribals of Assam. Your group will not deceive them again,” she added.
